Healing and Redemption
by hopelessanimeromantic
Summary: More than one person felt the aftermath of the BEGA tournament. Brooklyn deals with remorse and guilt for his actions. Hilary deals with the sense of loneliness and abandonment after the Bladebreakers are separated again. Both teens meet and develop a strong friendship. But who are these silent cloaked individuals that seem to be out for blood?
1. Chapter 1

Disclamer: I do not own beyblade or the characters, but I do own the plot.

A/N: This takes place two months after the BEGA tournament. Hope you like the story review and comment. Please be nice, it's my first story published here. :D

It was a seemingly peaceful day for the inhabitants of Bakuten, but nothing was calm for a young red head. He stared at the clear water in the lake, yet his eyes were not looking at the water. To any onlooker he appeared to be at peace, yet nobody could see the inner turmoil he endured. Flashes and images came to him about the last Beyblade tournament. He was not proud of how easily he succumbed to his own inner darkness, and almost killed everyone at the arena, starting with Tyson Granger.

Brooklyn knew that Tyson didn't resent him for his failure but he was sure that everyone else did. He didn't miss the look of horror and fear that people sent his way. A monster, that's what they called him. Yet, Brooklyn couldn't find it in him to resent them. They had every reason to fear him. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever really fit in. He had always been considered a freak, an anomaly.

"There you are Brooklyn my boy," Brooklyn's morbid thoughts were interrupted when he heard the voice of a kind old man, Mr. Dickenson. He looked up to see the plump man that took him in after the whole BEGA fiasco, which had occurred two months ago.

"Mr. Dickenson," Brooklyn acknowledged him. Mr. Dickenson sighed as he took in the young man's appearance. He knew all too well what he was feeling. He had seen that look on Kai, Tyson, and the rest of the Bladebreakers. It was the look they all had when they had lost all hope and had given up trying. But Mr. Dickenson would have none of that.

"Come my boy," he waited for Brooklyn to get up as he walked towards his limo. Brooklyn followed without a word. Mr. Dickenson couldn't help but compare him to the energetic Tyson. Where Tyson would have been shooting millions of questions per minute, Brooklyn quietly stared out the window.

They entered the BBA building and sat in silence. Brooklyn stared at the fish tank that Mr. Dickenson now kept in his office. He serenely watched as the fish swam without a care in the world. He then saw as the fish approached 3 other fish and they all swam together. Somehow he envied the fish, it had friends whereas he had nobody. He was an orphan, and the only people he could really call his friends would be Garland and Mr. Dickenson. However, Garland had left soon after the beyblading tournament to find something he could excel at.

"We have received an invitation to go to a small cookout today at the dojo," Mr. Dickenson started. Brooklyn turned his attention on Dickenson and nodded to indicate that he listened. "We are going so I suggest you get dressed for the occasion. It's a bit humid outside, so I would dress comfortably. Be ready in an hour."

"Yes Mr. Dickenson," Brooklyn's voice sounded so robotic that Mr. Dickenson had to contain a sigh. Maybe a day at the dojo would help out the quiet boy.

0000000000000000000000000

"TYSON!" A loud voice boomed through the entire dojo. Some birds flew away and the occupant in the house froze in fear. A young brunette angrily lifted a table and growled angrily. "Where is he!?" she asked a bespectacled young man as he clutched his precious laptop close to his chest.

"T-there," he stuttered as he pointed at the kitchen. Hilary smirked evilly as she stalked towards the kitchen. Kenny gulped as he noticed her murderous aura.

"Tyson," said young man froze in terror when he saw the angry glint in Hilary's eyes. "What happened to the refreshments for today's cookout?"

"Uh," Tyson sweat dropped as he looked for a plausible excuse. He could always play dumb and pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about. That wouldn't work, Hilary knew him well. "Daichi helped," he said lamely as he pointed at the young red head that was gobbling down a large bowl of ramen.

Daichi chocked on his food as he angrily glared at Tyson. It was true that he helped, but it had all been Tyson's idea. Last night they had a contest to see who would drink the most cups of lemonade, and let's just say the competition was pretty intense.

"I need you both to go to the store…now," both of them nodded. Happy to have an excuse to escape the deranged teenager in front of them.

Once they were gone Hilary sighed and sat on the dojo floor. Minutes passed, yet without the constant bickering between Tyson and Daichi, the dojo was very quiet. Normally she would have embraced the silence, yet with Max, Ray…and Kai gone, everything felt wrong. Hilary felt lonely and abandoned. Yes, she had expected they would leave sooner or later, but it didn't make it any easier to be without them. Kai hadn't even said goodbye to her and that stung.

Perhaps, he never really reciprocated her feelings, yet she had always hoped. Now, there was concrete evidence that he didn't even consider her a friend. He said his goodbyes to everyone except to her. She should have known he only saw her as a nuisance.

"What's got you so gloomy home girl?" Hilary jumped as she turned to look at Grandpa Granger. He wasn't smiling and his expression held genuine worry. Hilary shook her head in hopes of shaking away her depressing thoughts.

"Just missing the guys' grandpa," Hilary answered. It wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Hilary lived at the dojo now since her parents were always away on business trips.

Grandpa Granger didn't feel right to leave such a beautiful young lady alone without any protection. They had plenty of room at the dojo, so he offered her to live with them, and she eagerly accepted. She did the cooking and most of the cleaning in the house, and was currently looking for a job.

"You should get ready for the cookout. I will finish taking everything outside." Before she could argue, he left. Hilary smiled sadly and went upstairs to get ready. The dojo had been expanded after the tournament, and now had a second floor.

Hilary picked up a yellow sundress and smiled sadly. Last time they had a cookout was with the entire team the day before they left. They had all been so happy and had cherished their last moment together. They all knew it would be years before they saw each other again, but that night they all forgot about that fact. They ate, joked and laughed together, but now they were gone.

Hilary smiled sadly as she brushed away a few tears. Today there would only be one half of the Bladebreakers attending the cookout.

She forced a smile on her face, she was supposed to be the strength of the group and she intended to keep it that way. She would maintain her composure for the sake of Tyson, Daichi and Kenny.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters, but I do own the plot.

A/N: Well here's chapter 2, hope you like, review and comment. All comments are welcomed and appreciated. With that being said, I would like to thank Indigo Jupiter for reviewing and commenting. It means a lot, thank you! :D

Brooklyn got ready as soon as Mr. Dickenson had asked him to, and was now at the limousine waiting patiently for the old man. He really didn't want to go to the dojo, but he couldn't find it in him to deny Mr. Dickenson's request. He had done so much for him, and he was not about to go against his wishes.

Brooklyn's thoughts were once again consumed by his painful memories. He remembered blood, pain, and an insatiable thirst for domination. His sinister laugher echoed in his head and he sadly remembered the exhilaration he felt with the power. He had been easily swayed by the promises of power and acceptance. He had lived a miserable life as an outcast, until he had shown up…Boris Balcov.

Brooklyn involuntarily shivered, Boris had lied and made himself appeared like he cared. He pulled him away from his depression by calling him talented, not a freak like everyone else did. Brooklyn had wanted to prove himself to Boris so that he could see the approval in his eyes. Boris made him feel special and accepted… until the day that he lost to Kai. He could never forget the look of disgust that had replaced the look of approval. Nor could he forget the degrading words and physical blows he received in exchange for his failure. In his mind, if he could defeat Tyson, Boris would consider him special again. What a fool he had been. He was easily manipulated by the thought of acceptance. He smiled bitterly, he should have known that he would never be fully accepted in society.

Mr. Dickenson instantly noticed Brooklyn's rigid posture, but didn't say anything. He knew that Brooklyn was consumed in his own thoughts, and would probably not even hear him. He didn't even notice that he had arrived, nor did he notice that they were almost at the dojo.

Brooklyn snapped back to reality when the door was opened by Dickenson's chauffeur. He took in the appearance of the dojo. He had never seen it before, so he smiled when he noticed that it had a lot of open space. Brooklyn loved the outdoors, so the dojo was a welcoming sight.

Mr. Dickenson smiled when he noticed the fleeting smile in Brooklyn's face. At that moment, Mr. Dickenson finally got an idea on how he could help the young teenager overcome his self-hatred and guilt. All he had to do now was talk to his good friend Ryu Granger.

A pleasant smell wafted to both their noses as they went towards the backyard. Not many people were at the dojo, but that's what made it a welcoming sight to both Brooklyn and Dickenson.

Tyson was arguing with Daichi, Goki and Jim silently watched the argument in amusement, Kenny was watching beyblading clips with Zeo, and Kane was talking to Salima.

Brooklyn sought a seat far away from everyone else. Mr. Dickenson would have said something but decided against it. He wouldn't push the boy into something he wasn't ready for….yet. Instead he went to talk to his old friend Ryu. He chuckled when he noticed that Tyson and Daichi were once again quarreling.

"What did you say?" Tyson growled angrily. His face was red from anger, and Daichi's was no different.

"I said leave the thinking to someone that actually has a brain cuz you certainly don't have one," Daichi snarled.

"Oh yeah!? Then I challenge you to a beybattle right here right now monkey boy. It takes skill and brain to be a three time world champion."

"Who you callin' monkey boy!?" Daichi snapped as they both whipped out their beyblades from their pockets.

"What great timing we have," Miguel commented as he arrived with the rest of the members of Barthez Battalion, Mathilda, Claude and Aaron.

Everyone got close to watch the beybattle. They all made bets on who they thought would win. Everyone bet that Tyson would win, all except Mathilda. She kindly said that Daichi was a very powerful blader, and that there was a chance that he could defeat Tyson. This caused Daichi's ego to expand.

"They're at it again I see," Brooklyn looked up to see an attractive brunette talking to him. She wore a yellow sundress that hugged her curves beautifully. Her milky white skin seemed silky and smooth to the touch. Her luscious lips were curled into a small smile. But what really drew Brooklyn's attention were her gorgeous ruby eyes that were focused on him. He recognized her from the tournament, she had been with Tyson when he had lost his sanity. He almost killed her in his rampage, yet he didn't even know her name.

"I'm Brooklyn," he said with a small bow. It was kind of awkward with him sitting down, but lucky for him she didn't even seem to notice. "And you are?"

"Hilary," she answered with a genuine smile that revealed her pearly white teeth. "Can I sit here?" Brooklyn nodded numbly. He couldn't comprehend why someone would want to be near him.

He tensed when her arm brushed against his, she was sitting so close that he could feel the warmth of her body beside his. Everyone always kept him at arm's length, so it was shocking that this girl was so willing to sit beside him. He nervously watched her out of the corner of his eyes, but she seemed oblivious. The smile never left her face, and that calmed him.

A bird flew close to him and he extended his index finger. The bird immediately latched on his finger. Brooklyn smiled serenely, animals were his constant companions. Humans feared him, but animals didn't. It was almost as if they accepted him as one of their own.

"How did you do that?" Brooklyn jumped at the sound of her voice. The small bird flew away, and Hilary gasped as it disappeared from sight. "I'm sorry I was just excited," she said sheepishly. Brooklyn's eyes concentrated on her and Hilary for the first time noticed how handsome he was. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she blushed at the intensity of his stare. "I-I think I'll watch the beybattle now."

"Relax," his voice was so soft, almost like a whisper. Hilary turned to him and found herself admiring Brooklyn's gorgeous blue eyes. They sparkled under the sunlight. She noticed how soft and delicate his skin appeared. She felt the desire to run her hand through his untamed bright orange hair. He wore a black shirt that made his soft white skin stand out. She admired his muscles and wondered if he worked out.

Hilary then remembered his answer and coughed in embarrassment. She felt shameless, she had been openly checking him out! She turned away from him hoping to find a distraction from the gorgeous man beside her.

Her attention was drawn to a small bird that was flying around. She mimicked Brooklyn's previous actions and stuck her index finger out, yet the bird never approached her. 'No problem,' she thought as she got closer to the bird. However, the small creature was startled and flew further away. Hilary stubbornly followed yet the bird kept flying away. She soon became frustrated. 'Come here you stupid little bird,' she thought angrily.

"Hilary," she turned her attention to Brooklyn whose eyes were shining in mirth. He had been watching her the whole time and he felt admiration for her strong determination…or was that stubbornness? She sighed and sat down next to him again. Her cheeks puffed out in frustration, but she soon became slightly depressed.

Not even a bird wanted to be near her. Thoughts of Kai enveloped her mind. She always chased him, but he always pulled away from her. Maybe it was best she get over him soon, but that was easier said than done.

Brooklyn noticed her change in demeanor and frowned. She had been so energetic and determined before, but she deflated right before his eyes. What had caused such a change?

Hilary gasped when she suddenly felt warmth in her hand, and turned to find another hand attached to hers. Her eyes widened when she realized that Brooklyn was holding her hand. She looked at him as he serenely lifted her finger. His thumb drew soft circles in her skin, and she felt the tension leaving her muscles. She watched as his lips formed a small smile, if she had thought he was handsome before, now she thought he was drop dead gorgeous. She was so transfixed by his beauty that she was startled when she felt a small pressure on her index finger.

A smile made its way into her own face as she noticed that the bird she desperately chased was now calmly walking around her finger. Unbeknown to Hilary, Brooklyn's small smile turned into a full blown smile.

They both turned to look at each other and shared a small smile. The bird was forgotten as they both noticed that they were closer than they had been when she first approached him. His hand gently held hers, and both their bodies touched.

In the distance two elderly men watched them with grins in their faces, they had witnessed the whole thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Someone sent me a question about Kai, yes he will make an appearance in a few chapters. With that being said, here's chapter 3. Hope you enjoy comment and review. Thank you! Chapter dedicated to Indigo Jupiter :)

Tyson groaned as he cleaned the backyard. There were cups and plates all over the floor, but he couldn't say yesterday's cookout wasn't worth it. The cookout had been fun, but he couldn't deny that he had missed his former teammates.

"I hate cleaning," Daichi complained as he assisted Tyson with the cleaning.

"Shut up Daichi, your whining is annoying me," Tyson said, hoping to get a reaction out of Daichi. He wasn't disappointed when he felt Daichi's glare. "Aw man, how could I forget?"

"Forget what?" Daichi asked annoyed. Hook, line and sinker. Tyson would have smirked but wouldn't just yet.

"That monkeys have no self-control," Tyson taunted.

"I'll show you self-control you ape face," Daichi growled.

"That's the worst come back I've ever heard. Besides, I remember saying monkeys, I never said Daichi. I see you're finally embracing that side of you. It's about time too." That did it! Daichi angrily growled and launched himself at Tyson. Tyson groaned in pain when he felt Daichi's legs wrap around his waist tightly. Daichi pulled on Tyson's hair angrily.

"Take this Tyson," Daichi took out Strata Dragoon and started whacking Tyson with it.

This was the scene that Dickenson and Brooklyn came across. Mr. Dickenson watched in amusement as they exchanged insults, but immediately calmed when they saw him.

"Hey Mr. D," Tyson said with a strained smile. Wow, who knew the monkey boy was that strong? Tyson smiled and nodded to Brooklyn in acknowledgement.

"Hello Tyson, Daichi, is your grandfather home?"  
"He's inside, you should come in Mr. D," Tyson said as he led them both inside.

As soon as they went inside Mr. Granger was already there, almost as if he had been expecting them. Tyson narrowed his eyes suspiciously, the two old men seemed to have something up their sleeves. You could never trust them together, they usually came up with the most dangerous but effective plans.

Both men talked for a few minutes, but Brooklyn's attention was not on them. He kept glancing around the door hoping to catch a glimpse of the ruby eyed beauty. This action didn't go unnoticed by both elderly men, but they didn't comment on it as they continued to have meaningless chatter.

Hilary was in the kitchen staring at the news headline. A lonely tear slowly traveled down her distraught face, and she made no move to stop it. The tear silently splashed the news article, leaving behind a small blotch where _his_ face was.

 _Kai,_ her heart whispered _._

She had been wishing for his attention and acknowledgement for so long, but he never even gave her the time of day. Hilary had long since given up any hope of being more than just a friend to him, but that didn't mean the recent news didn't hurt her.

In the picture Kai was walking with a beautiful blonde Russian woman. Kai was as stoic as ever, but the look of content in the woman's face was enough to break Hilary's heart. Kai was dating her, or that's what it seemed like. The woman wore a black nightdress that accentuated her curves, curves that Hilary would only dream of having. Her blue eyes were focused on Kai, who wore a tuxedo. The woman was gorgeous, and Hilary knew she was not nearly as attractive as the Russian woman. Perhaps, she would never be good enough for Kai.

"Hilary, Mr. Dickenson is here. We should go see him," Kenny whispered softly. Kenny had already seen the news, so he wasn't surprised seeing her this way. He just wished he could do something for the girl he considered his sister.

"Just give me a minute Kenny," Hilary said as she wiped the lingering tears. She plastered a fake smile and Kenny winced.

"You know I'm here for you, in case you want to talk about it, right Hilary?"

"Yes, I know. Thank you Kenny," Hilary whispered as she pulled him in a tight embrace. Kenny instantly wrapped his arms around her waist sadly. _You really did it this time Kai_ , he thought as he heard her sniff.

Once she pulled herself together, Hilary thanked Kenny and walked to join the others. When she left, Kenny stayed behind to look at the newspaper. He immediately took the newspapers and ripped it without hesitation.

Finally, Hilary walked inside the room followed closely by Kenny. She saw Mr. Dickenson eagerly chatting with grandpa, but that's not who drew her attention. No, her attention was drawn to the young man that sat away from everyone else, Brooklyn.

As if sensing her stare, he looked up. Hilary smiled at him, and he gave her a small timid smile in return.

"Alright homies this is what's about to go down," Grandpa Granger suddenly said, and everyone turned to look at him curiously. Tyson groaned, he knew it! He just hoped they weren't about to take them camping, and then decide to ditch them again. Tyson and camping did not go well together. As if reading his thoughts Grandpa Granger continued, "No we're not taking you to a wild expedition so don't look so glum T- dawg." Tyson released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"We've decided to start a new beyblading competition," Mr. Dickenson said in amusement. Tyson rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "The contest will be in two months, and each team will need three players."

Tyson and Daichi looked at each other and bounced in excitement. Kenny shook his head when their hopeful eyes turned to him. He was not about to beyblade any time soon, he would much rather focus on analyzing data and fixing beyblades. Tyson and Daichi silently begged, but Kenny held his ground.

"We've decided that Brooklyn will be your new partner," Mr. Dickenson said as he watched the exchange.

Everyone gaped at his words, even Brooklyn's eyes widened. Daichi's mouth dropped while Tyson's expression turned serious.

Mr. Granger and Dickenson exchanged nervous glances, they had not anticipated silence from the talkative duo. The silence became so thick that you could practically hear a pin drop.

"I think it's a great idea," Hilary broke the silence as she made eye contact with Brooklyn. "He will be a good addition to the team." Tyson and Daichi exchanged glances but didn't say anything.

Hilary knew what they were thinking, they both considered this as an act of betrayal against their old team. It didn't make sense to her though, Tyson took in Daichi…so what made Brooklyn any different?

"Perfect, Brooklyn will be staying with you from now on. It is very important to get to know each other," Mr. Dickenson smiled gratefully at Hilary.

"Homies and home-girl, why don't you go on ahead and fix a room for Brooklyn?" Everyone nodded and left without a word.

After that Dickenson took out Brooklyn's luggage and gave them to the silent boy. He knew it seemed abrupt, but he also knew that Brooklyn needed this. He needed to belong somewhere, and what better place than with the Bladebreakers?

Unfortunately, Brooklyn was imagining the worst. Mr. Dickenson was getting rid of him, he had given up on him too. Brooklyn smiled bitterly, he should have known that even the kind old man would tire of him eventually. It had just happened a lot sooner than what he anticipated.

"Brooklyn, I'm not abandoning you," Mr. Dickenson said when he noticed Brooklyn's bitter smile. "Trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was for the best."

"I understand Mr. Dickenson. You don't need to explain your motives to me."

Mr. Dickenson sighed sadly. Maybe he had rushed things in his eagerness to help the distraught boy. It seemed that leaving him with the Bladebreakers would cause more harm than good.

Mr. Dickenson was considering taking Brooklyn back with him when Hilary showed up.

"Are you leaving already Mr. Dickenson?" Hilary asked as she took in Brooklyn's defeated expression.

"Hilary, I'm glad you're here." And he was, her presence steeled his resolve. Brooklyn was broken, but so was Hilary. Ryu had told him about her growing depression and self-esteem problems, caused by none other than Kai Hiwatari. Mr. Dickenson frowned. Kai was a silent young man that didn't take other's feelings into consideration, and he unknowingly hurt others. It was common knowledge that Hilary had feelings for the stoic blader, so she was crushed when she learned of his unexpected departure. Kai had been inconsiderate of her feelings, but that's just the way he was.

Brooklyn and Hilary misinterpreted the old man's silence and frown as him feeling unwell. They exchanged worried glances and approached him.

"Mr. Dickenson are you alright?" Mr. Dickenson smiled kindly when he noticed the look of worry on both teenagers. They had walked closer to him to see if he was alright, and they had also unknowingly moved closer to each other.

Maybe Ryu was right, Brooklyn wouldn't be the only one that would be healed.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclamer: I do not own Beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Here's chapter 4! Hope you all like it :)

The first few weeks were awkward for the occupants in the dojo since they were barely adjusting to Brooklyn's presence. Brooklyn felt like an outcast since they never included him in their conversations. Sometimes Tyson would try to talk to him, but he knew that Tyson wasn't very comfortable around him. Kenny and Daichi didn't even bother talking to him.

Right now they were practicing for the tournament. He watched as Tyson and Daichi talked in hushed whispers to Kenny. The three occasionally turned to look at him, and would continue whispering amongst each other. Brooklyn wasn't bothered by it at all, he was already used to it.

Brooklyn closed his eyes as he laid on the dojo floor. He smiled contently when he felt the cool summer breeze. Despite him not belonging with the males in the household, the same couldn't be said about the only female occupant. Hilary always talked to him and made him feel like he was normal. He liked it when she talked and joked with him. Her smile was contagious, but he didn't miss the signs of her depression. He wanted to ask about it, but he wouldn't dare.

The sound of the door alerted Brooklyn of her reappearance. He stood and walked towards the kitchen, where he knew she would be. He silently helped her with the bags she carried. It had become a ritual for both of them. She would go grocery shopping and he would help her carry the bags inside.

Sometimes he felt like her contribution to the team was overlooked by many. She was more than the coach of the team, she deserved a lot more praise.

"My back is killing me," she grumbled to herself and he looked at her in concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Brooklyn," he smiled as he helped her put everything away. They easily worked around each other without disturbing the other. Hilary put away the groceries in the fridge while Brooklyn placed the cans in the cabinets.

Once they were done they went outside to join the others. Tyson and Daichi were battling while Kenny collected the data.

"I've always wondered how it feels like to have a bitbeast," Hilary whispered to herself, but he heard her.

"Like if you found a lifelong companion," Brooklyn answered. Hilary turned to look at him with interest. "It's exhilarating because they lend you so much power, but at the same time it's scary." He whispered the last part, but Hilary heard him.

"Why is it scary?" Brooklyn looked into those trusting eyes and decided to confide in her.

"Because sometimes you find yourself craving power and wishing you had more. It's scary because you are aware of what you can do with this power."

Hilary knew he spoke from experience, and this was his way of letting go. She was aware that Brooklyn was confiding in her more than he had to others, and she was flattered.

"You can bend this power to your will, and use your bitbeast for the wrong reasons. Zeus didn't deserve it," Brooklyn frowned as he took out his beyblade. "Now, every child thinks of Zeus as some kind of mindless beast, and me as the monster controlling it." He squeezed his beyblade roughly, he was beginning to cut his hand with the edges of Zeus. Hilary placed her hand on top of his and he immediately stopped.

"You know, I don't think anyone can claim that they're completely innocent of abusing the power of their bit beasts. It's okay, we're all human. Sure, some abuse them more than others, but the abuse is still there. The most important thing that matters is that you repent your actions." Brooklyn's eyes widened. He gently tried to pull away his hand, but she had a tight grip. This was the first time that she, or anyone, ever held his hand, and he didn't know how to react. Yes, he had grabbed her hand on one occasion, but that was different. Now, it was her that had initiated the physical contact.

Hilary placed her other hand on Brooklyn's cheek and smiled at him kindly.

"Relax," she whispered softly. Brooklyn's heart began to pound as she looked him in the eye. He felt like she was reading his thoughts with those enchanting ruby eyes. His instincts screamed at him to pull away, but he somehow knew that she would never hurt him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she was now holding him tenderly. Throughout his life, Brooklyn was constantly being taunted and mocked. He was treated like a freak, a social pariah.

' _Monster, Freak, Abomination, Animal_ ,' the voices of his past taunted him.

 _That's right…I'm a monster, and I don't deserve her kindness,_ Brooklyn thought sadly. As if sensing his morbid thoughts, Hilary spoke.

"You're hurt and guilty because you've never fit in. You've always had a natural talent at beyblading so others thought you were a monster. Now you're scared that you proved to them that you really are a monster." Brooklyn tried to turn away, but she held his chin and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Don't listen to them Brooklyn because they don't know you. They don't know what you've gone through. They have no place to judge you. You regret your actions and that's what matters. You are not a monster, you are simply Brooklyn. And this-" she gently stroked Zeus, "-is no mindless beast, this is Zeus." She put her hands down on her lap and smiled at him kindly. "And now you are one of us, you are a Bladebreaker, you are family."

Brooklyn's eyes watered as he looked into Hilary's eyes. Nobody had ever said that to him. All this time he wanted to be accepted and feel like he belonged somewhere. And now, this petite brunette, Hilary, was offering everything he had always wanted. Her smile eased the pain caused by everyone's rejection.

"You are accepted here Brooklyn, and I will be here for you."

He felt tears spilling from his eyes and launched himself at her. Hilary welcomed his embrace and whispered reassurances to him. Hilary's eyes met Tyson's and she narrowed her eyes at him warningly. He looked at his shoes guiltily. He had no idea that Brooklyn was feeling this way. He would try to include Brooklyn more often and accept him as part of the Bladebreakers. Kenny and Daichi smiled and nodded at him, they agreed with him.

"Welcome to the team Brooklyn and Zeus, you are now, and forever will be, a Bladebreaker," Tyson said with a genuine smile. Brooklyn looked up in shock and gratitude. Tyson almost winced at the emotions that Brooklyn openly showed. He felt like a huge jerk now. He had accepted everyone that had once been an enemy without a single doubt, even Kai, but he had been reluctant with Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn, we're sorry," Kenny said shyly.

"Yeah we were huge jerks," Tyson said, still feeling guilty. Daichi nodded in agreement, and looked at his hands nervously.

"It's okay, I completely understand." Brooklyn noticed that they still looked guilty and smiled. "I'll forgive you, if you forgive my actions back at the tournament."

"Fair enough," Tyson grinned.

"Do you want to have a friendly match, Brooklyn?" Daichi asked with a smile.

"We can analyze Zeus and make modifications to him if you want," Kenny offered.

"Yes, I would like that," Brooklyn said softly. He pulled away from Hilary's embrace and smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you," and with those words of gratitude, he joined the others.

Hilary watched the whole time with a smile. Brooklyn was being accepted as a Bladebreaker now, and she would be damned if she allowed someone to hurt him again.

The following day Hilary woke up to see the boys looking down at her in excitement, including Brooklyn. She looked at them expectantly and they all pulled her out of bed. She didn't struggle and went along with it.

"Close your eyes," Tyson said happily. Hilary obliged and closed her eyes. She tried to wrap her finger around their reasons for showing her a surprise. It wasn't her birthday, so it couldn't be a surprise party.

"Open them," Daichi screeched in her ear. Hilary winced but obliged. As soon as she opened her eyes she felt a weight on her hand. She gasped when she saw a beyblade. "Do you like it?"

"We all designed it, but it was Brooklyn's idea," Kenny said with a smile. Hilary felt flattered, but she also felt wary. Last time she tried spinning a beyblade it did not go well.

"We'll teach you how to beyblade," Brooklyn said with a warm smile. Hilary blushed wondering if he knew about the bus incident. "We'll try outdoors before we try beyblading in moving objects, like a bus for example." That answered her question. She groaned in embarrassment, just great, another person knew of her humiliating launch.

The moment they started teaching her how to beyblade, they realized that it wasn't as simple as they had initially thought. Beyblading did not come naturally to the beautiful bossy brunette. They all sweat dropped when she kept launching and hitting random objects. One time Tyson wondered if she deliberately launched for his head, it was just too much of a coincidence.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclamer: I do not own Beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that took the time to read, review, comment, favorite, or follow my story. It really means a lot to me, and I am grateful for everyone's kind words :D I hope you all like the chapter :)

Finally, the day of the long awaited tournament arrived. It was plainly obvious that Mr. Dickenson saved no expenses with the new arena, even if it was only a small tournament. Brooklyn's addition to the team was still anonymous because Mr. Dickenson was afraid of the crowd's reaction to him. People still feared and disliked Brooklyn and his faithful bitbeast Zeus. The old man just hoped that the tournament would show the crowd that Brooklyn had changed, and that he was not the monster they believed he was.

The Bladebreakers were currently in the locker rooms waiting for the announcer to call the bladers to the arena. Hilary noticed the barely contained anxiousness in Tyson and Daichi's faces. Kenny seemed perfectly calm, but if one paid close attention to his actions, you could see that he was typing a lot faster than usual. In just one hour the announcer would let them know who they were up against. Mr. Dickenson kept every bladers identity a mystery, which worried the bespectacled boy. He was used to analyzing his opponents before the battles, so not knowing had him practically tearing his hair out.

"Man, chief would you quit it already? You're making us nervous," Daichi finally snapped. Apparently, Hilary wasn't the only one that noticed Kenny's troubled actions.

"Yeah, don't you have any faith in us?" Tyson asked feeling a bit insulted.

"Sorry guys, I'm just not comfortable with not knowing what we're up against," Kenny admitted sheepishly.

"I'm sure we'll do fine, I mean our opponents will most likely run away when they see Brooklyn in our team," Daichi said carelessly. Tyson immediately covered the young red head's mouth and laughed nervously.

"Daichi you're such a kidder," Tyson discretely glared at the Strata Dragoon wielder. Daichi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when he realized his mistake.

Everyone's eyes landed on Brooklyn, who still remained silent. They all held their breaths waiting for a reaction from the silent member of the team. Everyone knew that it was a sore subject for him, so they didn't know what to expect.

Finally, Brooklyn stood, "I'm going for a walk," he said calmly. He didn't wait for an answer and left the room. Silence followed his sudden, but not completely unexpected, departure. Tyson wordlessly smacked Daichi in the back of the head. Daichi growled at him angrily but remained silent.

Hilary stood and everyone's eyes now landed on her.

"I'll see you guys later," and with those words she took off after Brooklyn. She knew that Daichi meant no harm with his words, so she didn't really blame him. Brooklyn was hurting before Daichi's comment, so this must have triggered more unpleasant memories. Brooklyn was far from being completely healed, but there was still some noticeable progress with him. Now, she intended to find him before he fell into his depressive state again.

She ran towards the lounge, where teams could get together and mingle. She instantly searched for his bright orange hair and found him easily. She was about to call him when she noticed several bladers in the room. Her heart dropped at the scene she came across.

Brooklyn was standing in the middle of the room with every set of eyes focused on him. Some bladers looked at him with fear while other's looked at him with disgust. Brooklyn tried to ignore their looks and walked towards the beverages. Everyone made way for him to pass, but watched him warily. He took a bottle of water and turned to go back to the locker room when suddenly a tall muscular brunette blocked his way.

"Excuse me," Brooklyn said as he tried to go around him, but two other bladers blocked his way.

"What are you doing here?" The brunette sneered.

"I'm going to participate in the tournament," Brooklyn answered calmly. Everyone gasped at his words and started whispering amongst each other. Brooklyn tried to ignore their whispers, but found that he couldn't. They whispered cruel things about him and Zeus.

"You make us sick you disgusting freak. You don't belong here, and you never will," someone in the crowd jeered.

"You've got some nerve showing your face at another beyblading tournament you cruel monster," another person added. Brooklyn knew that he deserved their words so he remained silent.

"You low life, why don't you do everyone a favor and disappear?" the brunette cackled.

"Why don't you do us a favor and shut up, you thick-headed brute," a feminine voice piped. Everyone silenced and turned to look at the angry brunette that made her presence known. They recognized her as the Bladebreakers coach, so nobody uttered a word. What was she doing there?

"Are you talking to me?" The brunette asked angrily.

"It seems like you're as dumb as you look. Yes, I'm talking to you, you stupid idiot," Hilary growled as she walked towards Brooklyn. She stopped when she was next to him, and glared at everyone that was within her vicinity.

Brooklyn winced when he noticed her tense muscles. He knew she wasn't angry at him, but he was still nervous. The petite brunette was like a ticking bomb, and he certainly didn't want to be the one that set her off.

"What's your problem!?" the guy snapped angrily. "I'm teaching this low-life that he doesn't belong amongst us. And-"

SMACK

Everyone's eyes widened as Hilary pulled back her hand. She had hit with so much force that the guy's face turned to the side from the impact. An angry red hand print appeared in his face, but Hilary didn't regret it. She was seething, nobody messed with Brooklyn on her watch! She instantly grabbed the brunette from the collar and pulled him down to her level. He was forced to meet her infuriated gaze. The guy actually gulped as he noticed the fire in her ruby eyes.

"Listen here and listen well because I'm only telling you this once. Mess with Brooklyn, and it'll be the last thing you do. Do you understand?" The guy remained frozen in terror. "I said, Do You Understand!?"

"Y-yes, I understand," he whispered in relief when she released him.

"The same goes for the rest of you," Hilary warned as she looked at everyone in the room. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. How would you feel if you were treated like this!? It truly was disgusting and cowardly to see you all attack him that way. I am disappointed in how easily you allowed your fear overrule your morality. I don't just see one cruel monster here, I see several, and Brooklyn is not one of them."

Several people looked down in shame. While others looked at her with admiration. Truthfully, not everybody in the room disliked Brooklyn, but they were too afraid to interfere.

Nobody said a word, they were all silently taking in Hilary's words.

"Is there a problem here?" Tyson's voice cut through the silence

Everyone turned to look at the reigning champion in awe. Tyson immediately noticed Hilary's furious aura and involuntarily shivered. That girl was scary when she was angry. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened, so Tyson immediately narrowed his eyes at the crowd.

"Tyson, tell this crazy bitch to sort out her mental issues. She's siding with that freak, Brooklyn," the brunette from earlier cried out in relief. Tyson would surely side with him!

"Do you have a problem with my teammate and coach?" Tyson narrowed his eyes at the brunette angrily. The guy gasped in shock, and turned to look at Hilary and Brooklyn. They were teammates? He was so shocked, that he, thankfully, remained silent. Satisfied with the guy's reaction, Tyson now addressed his fellow bladers. "Brooklyn is a Bladebreaker, and therefore my partner. Any disrespect to him, is disrespect to me," Tyson said calmly, but nobody could miss the slight edge in his voice.

After the little speech everyone went back to their business. They all talked eagerly about the tournament, and the excitement that they would have a chance to defeat the current reigning champion.

"Thank you, Tyson," Hilary said once they were out of the room. Brooklyn followed them and looked at them with admiration. It felt nice to have someone stand up for him, and he would never forget this moment. He would always treasure the memory of Tyson and Hilary standing up for him.

"Nonsense, it seemed to me like you had things well taken care of. By the way, don't think I missed the hand mark in the dude's face," Tyson commented with a snicker. Hilary smiled sheepishly, maybe she did get a little carried away. Tyson actually felt sorry for the guy, Hilary was a lot stronger than she appeared. He involuntarily rubbed his cheek, and thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't angered her recently.

"I would like to thank both of you for standing up for me," Brooklyn said as he nervously rubbed his arm.

"You don't have to thank us," Hilary smiled at him kindly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I mean, what are friends for? Now, why don't we go look around a little?" Tyson grinned, but it soon disappeared when he glanced towards the right. "You know on second thought maybe we should go back to the lockers," he said urgently.

Brooklyn narrowed his eyes suspiciously while Hilary frowned in confusion.

"We can look around once we get Daichi and Kenny," he said as he turned them around and tried pushing them back the way they came.

"Tyson, what's wrong?" Hilary asked.

"Nothing, I just want to talk to Daichi about some last minute strategies," Tyson lied. Hilary caught on to his lie and turned around to see what had made the Dragoon wielder so nervous. Tyson tried to cover it, but it was too late.

Hilary's heart dropped as she saw in the giant television clips of Kai in Russia. He was accompanied by the same blonde, but this time they were kissing. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that Kai really was dating her. Hilary wanted to deny that it was him, say that it was someone that looked like him. But, she couldn't. She could recognize that two toned hair anywhere.

 _Valentina_ , so that was her name. Even her name was beautiful, Hilary thought dejectedly.

"Hilary," Tyson called to her sadly.

"I'm fine, Tyson, I already knew. K- kai deserves to be happy. It's not like we were together," Hilary struggled to keep her voice steady. The video kept replaying in her mind and Hilary just stood there sadly.

Brooklyn watched the whole exchange and put two and two together. Hilary had unrequited feelings for Kai. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, she didn't deserve to be hurt this way.

"I'll never be good enough…will I, Kai?" Hilary whispered to herself, but Brooklyn was close to her so he managed to hear it.

He didn't hesitate and silently wrapped his arms around her. Hilary froze at the unexpected contact. Brooklyn felt her form shake with barely suppressed tears. "Never doubt yourself Hilary. You are beautiful, caring, and more than worthy. Kai doesn't know what he's missing," Brooklyn whispered in her ear softly.

Hilary latched on to him and allowed herself to cry into his shoulder. Brooklyn ran his hand down her silky brown hair and whispered kind words to her. He was glad that he could comfort her like she had comforted him. She was his guardian angel, and if he needed to, he would be her protective demon.

"I'll always be here for you Hilary," Brooklyn vowed. Hilary smiled at his words and looked up into his blue eyes. She thanked him silently, and in response he pulled her closer to his chest. She lay her head in his shoulder and sighed happily.

Meanwhile, Tyson witnessed the entire exchange in shock. He had been forgotten by both teenagers as they both sought comfort in each other's arms. A smile slowly made its way in the Dragoon wielder's face. 'Now, this is an interesting development,' Tyson thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the character. But I do own the plot.

A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for taking long in updating. I was having trouble with my laptop, but I finally got that fixed. Second, I would like to thank everyone that has reviewed, commented, followed, added my story to their favorites, or read my book. It means a lot, so thank you! I hope you like the chapter :)

The Bladebreakers waited patiently as Mr. Dickenson announced the teams. Tyson and Daichi eagerly watched the presentation of the other teams and pointed at the ones that looked formidable. Kenny opened a folder, where he proceeded to document data on the bladers and Beyblades.

Brooklyn didn't know what to feel as he took in the cheering crowds. The last time he had bladed in a stadium he had nearly killed millions of people, Tyson and Hilary included. He silently reached into his pocket and took out Zeus. He knew that people would most likely watch him warily, so he mentally braced himself for the worst.

Zeus pulsed in his hand and Brooklyn looked at him in alarm. Zeus felt off somehow, but Brooklyn couldn't place it. His bitbeast was usually calm and collected, but for some reason it felt _different_. He noticed a dark aura surrounding his Beyblade, but he didn't feel any malice coming from Zeus. No, the malice surrounded Zeus, but it wasn't coming from him.

"Zeus?" Brooklyn whispered softly, but the aura instantly dissipated. Brooklyn looked around warily. Whatever surrounded his Beyblade was gone now, but where did it go?

"What's wrong?" Hilary asked softly. Brooklyn turned to look at her and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it. I just felt that-"

"Hey, we're next," Tyson interrupted. Hilary turned to the stadium door and then back to Brooklyn.

"Forget it, probably just my imagination," Brooklyn said as he gently nudged Hilary towards the stadium.

People cheered the moment they saw the Bladebreakers walking in. However, all cheering died down when they saw Brooklyn. Mr. Dickenson knew that they had every reason to fear Brooklyn, but he hoped that they gave him a second chance. His old heart wouldn't bear hearing any rejection against the young red head. He was like a son to Mr. Dickenson, and it pained him to see Brooklyn being rejected and feared.

The blading teams watched Brooklyn unimpressed, they had already had an encounter with him earlier, so his presence no longer shocked them.

Mr. Dickenson proceeded by naming the order of the beybattles. However, the tension was hard to miss. The crowd was wary of Brooklyn, and the old man couldn't really blame them. At least, they weren't expressing open hostility.

Brooklyn didn't listen to a word Mr. Dickenson said since he felt several eyes on him. He didn't try to look around because he knew what he was going to see. People were watching him with fear, hatred, or wariness, it was nothing new to him.

A sudden chill crept up his spine and he looked around the room trying to place it. It was the same feeling he had felt earlier. Something evil was lurking in the stadium, but he couldn't concentrate on the exact location. He knew that he wasn't being paranoid because his instincts were hardly ever wrong.

"We're going first," Hilary said, interrupting his thoughts. Brooklyn nodded absentmindedly and followed Hilary towards the benches. Tyson and Daichi argued on who was going first, while Kenny held his head in frustration.

"Guys, lets stick to the game plan. Daichi goes first," Kenny said as he turned to their opponents. They sent a short scrawny blunette, who smirked cockily. The young man radiated confidence as he made his way towards the arena.

"Look at that arrogant scrawny popsicle stick. I'll teach him a thing or two," Daichi growled when the boy stuck his tongue out at him.

"The Warlock's have sent Kintaro to start off the beybattle. And the Bladebreakers have sent Daichi," DJ Jazzman announced. "Bladers are you ready?"

"I was born ready," Kintaro answered confidently.

"Of course we're ready now start the battle," Daichi answered impatiently.

"3…2…1…Let it rip!"

Both bladers immediately launched their beyblades. Tyson cheered on Daichi, while Kenny began to analyze Kintaro's beyblade.

Brooklyn watched the beybattle and smiled. He had never felt the desire to watch another person's beybattle before because he had found them pointless. He used to only care about himself, but now he was genuinely entertained by the battle. The raw power that Daichi possessed was amazing, and he wondered why he never noticed that before.

"He's amazing isn't he?" Hilary asked with a smile. Brooklyn nodded and watched transfixed as Strata Dragoon made an appearance. "I feel like his skill is often overlooked. Daichi is very talented," Hilary said as she watched Daichi deliver the finishing blow.

"Not just Daichi," Brooklyn said as he grabbed Hilary's hand. Hilary turned to look at him and blushed when she noticed the admiration shining in Brooklyn's blue eyes.

"Brooklyn I don't think that I-"

"You're amazing Hilary," he whispered. Hilary turned away in embarrassment. Nobody, had ever said that to her before. She covered her red cheeks wondering if anyone else felt the room get warmer. Brooklyn smiled when he noticed her actions. "Hilary," he called her.

She turned to look at him and their eyes met. Brooklyn felt his heart skip a beat when her ruby eyes fixed on him. His eyes widened as he placed a hand on his chest. What was that?

"Brooklyn, you're up," Kenny unknowingly interrupted the moment. He turned to look at Tyson, who glared at him. "What did I do?" Kenny asked, while Tyson just shook his head.

"Nothing," Tyson said as he narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled teen. Kenny shrugged, he had no idea what upset the Dragoon wielder.

"The Warlocks have sent Hiroshi up next. The Bladebreakers have sent…Brooklyn!"

Brooklyn slowly made his way to the arena. He had not been nervous before, but now he was. Images of Kai's bloodied form made themselves present. He winced when he recalled his eagerness to end the blunette's life. He nervously pulled Zeus out of his pocket. This was it, the moment he would beyblade in the stadium again. A memory of Tyson's beaten form appeared in his head. His hand shook as he pulled out his launcher.

"Bladers are you ready!?" Brooklyn and Hiroshi nodded. "3…2…1…Let it rip!"

Hiroshi and Brooklyn launched their beyblades, but Brooklyn held back. He didn't want to hurt Hiroshi like he hurt Tyson and Kai. He couldn't hurt him too. Brooklyn's hand shook as Zeus collided against Hiroshi's beyblade.

"Come on Brooklyn! You can do this," Tyson cheered.

"Come on, Orochi," Hiroshi called as a giant snake bitbeast appeared. The giant serpent had eight heads and eight tails. Everyone expected Brooklyn to call on Zeus, but he didn't. "Poison spears," Hiroshi cried. Zeus didn't retaliate, it merely evaded the attacks.

"What are you doing? Attack him Brooklyn," Daichi was becoming agitated.

Brooklyn opened his mouth to order Zeus to attack, but a bloodied Kai appeared in front of him. Kai looked so defeated and broken. He could barely stand on his own two feet, and he seemed close to death. Brooklyn gasped as he looked at his hands, which were stained with blood.

"Brooklyn fight back," Tyson screamed.

Kai's figure disappeared from his vision, and in his place Brooklyn saw a frustrated Hiroshi.

"Listen up Brooklyn, I don't care about the BEGA tournament, I just care about the here and now," Hiroshi said seriously. "Now stop wallowing in your self-pity and battle!"

Brooklyn smiled and nodded.

"Let's finish this Zeus," Brooklyn said as he set his insecurities in the back of his mind. Hiroshi was right, it was time to worry about the here and now. As if feeling his master's confidence, Zeus came out of his beyblade. People watched in awe as the dark bitbeast let out a mighty roar and attacked Orochi.

"Now that's what I wanted," Hiroshi grinned as Orochi countered. Both bitbeasts attacked each other, but Zeus easily pushed away Orochi.

"King of darkness," Brooklyn cried out and everyone gasped.

"Orochi, counter," Hiroshi called, but it was too late. Zeus quickly took out Orochi. Hiroshi was blown away by the impact of the attack.

"And the winner is…Brooklyn!"

Brooklyn outstretched his hand and effortlessly caught Zeus.

The crowd was once again speechless. Brooklyn watched how Hiroshi was blown away like a lifeless doll and immediately ran towards him. He worried that he hurt Hiroshi, maybe he shouldn't have attacked him at all. He should have remained in the defensive, that way Hiroshi wouldn't have been hurt.

Just as he reached Hiroshi's side, he noticed that Hiroshi was sitting up. He groaned as he rubbed the side of his head, but he smiled when he saw Brooklyn. Brooklyn offered him his hand and Hiroshi smiled and took it.

"Are you alright?" Brooklyn asked with worry.

"Don't sweat it. I've had worse. I'm honored to have been your opponent, Brooklyn. I just need to keep practicing to reach your level," Hiroshi said as he walked away.

Brooklyn smiled and turned to his friends, who were now making their way towards the arena. Tyson, Daichi, and Kenny cheered. Brooklyn thanked them when they congratulated him, but his attention was on Hilary.

"You did well," Hilary grinned. Brooklyn smiled and opened his arms, and pulled her in a tight embrace. He sighed in contentment when she returned the gesture.

"Interesting indeed," Tyson whispered as he looked at the way Brooklyn and Hilary held each other. Tyson smiled and wondered when they were going to realize it.  
Kenny watched both teenagers in shock. He then turned to Tyson, who was watching with a warm smile. That's when the penny dropped.

"Now I understand," Kenny whispered to Tyson. Tyson turned to look at Kenny and smirked.

"Understand what?" Daichi asked feeling completely lost. Tyson and Kenny ignored him as they heard the crowd clapping and cheering. Tyson made eye contact with Mr. Dickenson, who was beaming. Brooklyn was being accepted even if he didn't notice it yet.

Brooklyn was so transfixed by the brunette in his arms, that he didn't notice that the crowd cheered for him. Nor did he notice that Zeus was once again pulsing in his pocket.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclamer: I don't own beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: I've had many people asking me about Kai. He will be making an appearance in the next chapter. Once again thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to read my story. With that being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

Brooklyn smirked as he noticed Hilary's mounting agitation. Her hands were balled into fists and they shook with barely suppressed irritation. Her right eyebrow began to twitch, and Brooklyn mentally braced himself.

"I have had enough! Stop evading me and attack!" Hilary growled as her beyblade attacked Zeus.

After Tyson got injured teaching Hilary how to launch, Brooklyn took on the challenge in teaching the fiery brunette how to beyblade. Surprisingly, as soon as she got the hang of launching, Hilary was a good blader. However, Tyson was still worried that she would 'accidentally' hurt him again, so they had to settle for training at a park. Brooklyn and Hilary didn't mind since the park had a lot of open space.

Hilary's beyblading style consisted of strong impulsive attacks, and they were very effective. Though, she had a habit of losing her temper easily. Brooklyn realized that whenever she got angry, she got sloppy.

Hilary growled when Zeus refused to counter, it merely dodged her attacks or stayed on the defensive. She hated it when Brooklyn and Tyson refused to give it their best when they bladed against her. She felt like she wasn't good enough to merit an official battle against them.

Fueled by her anger, Hilary's beyblade viciously attacked Zeus. Brooklyn felt the shift in the beybattle, and ordered Zeus to start countering. Hilary was a formidable blader, despite her not having a bitbeast yet. She didn't realize that she had so much raw power, almost as if she had a bitbeast.

He hadn't told anyone yet, but Brooklyn felt the beginnings of an untapped power in her beyblade. He wouldn't be surprised if a bitbeast appeared soon.

Hilary started panting as she felt Zeus slam against her beyblade. She knew that she was not strong enough to defeat Brooklyn, but she wanted to impress him. He had spent a whole year teaching her how to beyblade and she wanted to show him her progress. She had won a good deal of beybattles, and she was proud of every victory.

"Zeus King of Darkness," Hilary gasped as Zeus rammed against her beyblade. Her beyblade resisted but flew out of the rink. Hilary almost lost her footing, but she held her ground.

"You did well Hilary," Brooklyn said, and he meant it. Hilary smiled as she kneeled down to pick up her beyblade.

"Thank you, but I was wondering if we could rest a while. That battle tired me out," Hilary said as she lay down on the grass. Brooklyn nodded and joined her. He closed his eyes and sighed in pure bliss. He loved the outdoors, but he loved it even more now that she was laying down beside him.

A year had passed since he had joined the team, but Brooklyn felt like it had been longer. The Bladebreakers were like his family, and he was glad to have met them. Thanks to them, he was now being accepted.

In Daichi, he found someone that he could joke around with to help forget his harsh past. In Kenny, he found a voice of reason and understanding. In Tyson, he found a best friend that he could confide in, and a friend that would always stand by his side.

He could never thank Mr. Dickenson and Grandpa Ryu enough for everything they did for him. They helped him find acceptance and friendship. They gave him a chance to really get to know the Bladebreakers.

"It sure is peaceful here," Hilary whispered softly. Brooklyn's attention shifted to the one that had impacted his life the most, Hilary. She was the light at the end of a cold harsh tunnel. She was his treasure, and he vowed to protect her at all costs.

Their friendship grew with every passing day, but Brooklyn wanted more. He knew that he should be grateful that she at least considered him a friend, but he couldn't help but desire her. He loved her smile, her soft skin, her fiery personality, her compassion, her protectiveness, and those bright ruby eyes. She was perfection in his eyes, and what enticed him the most was that she didn't know it. He loved everything about her, now if only he could find the courage to tell her that.

"Look that one looks like a cat," Hilary giggled as she pointed at some clouds. Brooklyn cracked an eye open and smiled when he saw the cat. "What do you see Brooklyn?"

Brooklyn concentrated on the clouds but frowned when he noticed that the clouds were disappearing at an alarming fast pace. The sky darkened rapidly and he felt warning signs going off in his head.

"That's odd, the news didn't say anything about rainstorm," Hilary commented equally as perturbed. They both stood up and looked around as people started running in fear of being caught out in a storm. Brooklyn and Hilary exchanged glances as they felt a cool breeze pass through their bodies.

"Do you feel that?" Brooklyn asked as he felt Zeus pulsing in his pocket. Hilary nodded, she felt the hairs in the back of her neck stand.

"What is it?"

Just as she asked her question three cloaked figures appeared in front of them. Goosebumps appeared on their flesh as they took in the creepy figures. They all wore dark cloaks, and to Hilary, they looked like grim reapers. One of them boldly approached them, and Hilary took a nervous step back.

"Who are you?" Hilary asked cautiously. The figure didn't answer as it launched its beyblade at her. Brooklyn immediately reacted as he launched Zeus. Both beyblades met each other halfway and landed on the ground.

The other two cloaked figures joined the battle, attacking Zeus. "What do you think you're doing?" Hilary asked angrily. She took out her beyblade and launched. She may not have a bitbeast, but she would not let Brooklyn battle alone.

"Zeus attack," Brooklyn ordered, never losing his calm. Zeus came out of his beyblade and attacked viciously. Taking that as her cue, Hilary charged. The beyblades were taken down easily, and Hilary cheered.

Brooklyn's eyes narrowed as he noticed the darkness emanating from the beyblades and the bladers. Something was wrong, this was the exact same presence he had felt back at his first tournament as a Bladebreaker. He felt strong malice coming from them and it unnerved him that their victory had been a little too easy.

Unbeknown to them, a fourth figure sprung out of nowhere and launched its beyblade at a tree next to Hilary. The tree was chomped down and descended against the unsuspecting girl. Hilary heard a crunching noise and turned to find the tree falling on her.

"Brook-" she screamed as the tree fell on her. Brooklyn immediately sprang into action. He pushed her out of the way but the tree managed to land on their lower bodies. Hilary banged her head roughly. She felt blood gushing from her head injury and a wave of dizziness overcame her.

"Hilary," Brooklyn called to her in alarm. Her face was deathly pale and she looked ready to pass out. Now, Brooklyn wasn't an expert, but he knew that she couldn't be allowed to sleep. "Stay with me, you can't sleep."

"My head hurts," she whispered dizzily. She succumbed to the darkness as the throbbing in the back of her head became unbearable.

While they were both down, the four cloaked figures disappeared.

Brooklyn coughed as he tried to move but felt the heavy trunk on his lower body.

"Zeus," the beyblade followed its master's unspoken command. It tore through the tree and allowed him to move. Brooklyn smiled and silently thanked Zeus. The beyblade stopped spinning and he went to pick it up and pocket it. While he picked up Zeus he also picked up Hilary's beyblade.

With great difficulty he turned to Hilary and lifted her up. He felt dizzy and tired but he didn't care. He needed to get Hilary some medical attention. He grimaced when he saw a small puddle of blood where her head had been. He hoped he didn't make it worse by picking her up. He had no idea how to treat a head injury.

Brooklyn sighed as he struggled to take Hilary to the dojo. He just hoped that Tyson didn't encounter the same cloaked figures that they did.

As terrible luck would have it, Tyson had also encountered three cloaked figures.

"Let's finish this Daichi," Daichi nodded, already knowing what Tyson was thinking.

"Twin tornado attack," they cried simultaneously. They smiled when they took out all three bladers at once.

"They didn't even put up a challenge," Daichi said in disappointment and Tyson agreed.

A fourth blader appeared and aimed at Tyson, but he wasn't expecting Kenny to be there.

"Get him Hopper," Kenny cried as he hit the blader in the hand. The blader made no sound as he turned to look at the meddlesome intruder.

Tyson and Daichi turned towards them, startled. They had not known there was a fourth blader.

"They were aiming at me!" Tyson said in shock. Had it not been for Kenny, he would hate to think what would have happened to him. The bladers fled, and the Bladebreakers ran after them.

"Hey! Get back here! Nobody tries to kill Tyson except me!" Daichi yelled angrily.

"Gee, thanks," Tyson sweat dropped. They were about to turn around the corner of the street when they almost knocked over Brooklyn. They watched in horror as he seemed ready to pass out. His body was filled with scrapes and bruises. In his arms he held an equally bruised and bleeding Hilary.

"Hilary is injured," Brooklyn said as he began to fall forward. Tyson, Daichi, and Kenny immediately reacted. Tyson caught Hilary, while Daichi and Kenny helped support Brooklyn.

"Let's get them some help," Tyson said as he carried Hilary bridal style. Daichi and Kenny nodded as they aided Brooklyn to get to the dojo.

"Grandpa!" Daichi screamed loudly. Grandpa ran out in alarm and gasped when he saw Hilary and Brooklyn.

"What happened boys?" Grandpa asked seriously.

"We were attacked. They injured Hilary and Brooklyn. And they almost slashed Tyson in half," Daichi said, as they set both of them down.

They called the doctor, and were glad that he didn't have any patients for the day. The doctor looked over Hilary first, then at Brooklyn, who had passed out as soon as the doctor arrived.

Grandpa Granger watched with a frown marring his face. The children were in grave danger. Hilary, Brooklyn, and Tyson were lucky to even be alive. He would hate to imagine what could have happened to any of them had it not been for Brooklyn and Kenny's quick thinking.

He immediately took out his phone and called the only person he knew could help.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclamer: I don't own beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Max, Ray, and Kai have finally made an appearance. Hope you like it :)

In China, Ray was peacefully meditating under a waterfall when he felt a presence behind him. A small smile appeared in his face when he recognized the pattern of the footsteps, Mariah. He turned to look at her but his smile died when he noticed the somber look on her face.

"Mr. Dickenson called, the Bladebreakers are in trouble," Mariah noticed how Ray immediately tensed at the news.

Ray wordlessly stood and walked back to the village. Mariah wordlessly followed.

Lee, Kevin and Gary were already waiting for him. They talked amongst each other but they all silenced when Ray came into view.

By the time Ray arrived, he already had his mind made up. He had to go back to Japan and nothing his team could say would stop him. He knew that Lee would probably be upset that he had to leave, but he really had no choice. His friends were in danger, and he would stand by their side to help in any way he could.

"I will go back to Bakuten. I can't leave them knowing that they're in danger." He didn't know what to expect from his team, but seeing them move and reveal packed luggage wasn't it.

"We understand your concern Ray, and we're going with you. The White Tigers always protect their own, and the Bladebreakers are our friends," Lee said seriously. Gary, Kevin and Mariah agreed. Ray smiled, his team was so supportive.

"I'm coming too," the White Tigers turned to look at Mystel. After BEGA, Mystel had followed them to China and he was still living in the village with them. "Brooklyn is in danger too, and I want to help him."

None of the White Tigers argued, they wanted to be there for their friends and Mystel wanted to be there for his former teammate.

"Let's go help our friends," Ray said as he took his bag and left. The White Tigers and Mystel followed without another word. None of them knew what to expect, but they would help the Bladebreakers nonetheless.

Somewhere in America Judy Tate was running a hand through her blonde hair. She was wondering how she was going to break the news to her son. Apparently the Bladebreakers were in serious problems again, but she couldn't say that she was surprised. Tyson had a knack for getting into trouble.

"Emily, please bring Max and the boys to my office." Emily nodded and ran to look for the rest of the team. Something was worrying Judy and Emily was curious to know what it was.

Once gathered, they all sat waiting patiently for Judy to speak. Max frowned when he noticed the serious expression in his mother's face. Something was wrong.

"Max, the Bladebreakers were attacked by several mysterious figures. Mr. Dickenson has reason to believe that they will attack again." Max sighed, he had wanted to visit his friends again, and apparently he got his wish. He just wished it had been for a small vacation, rather than a life or death situation again. How Tyson always managed to get into trouble was beyond him.

"I'll go help them mom and you can't stop me," Max said in determination, silently preparing for an argument. Max knew that her mother was very overprotective of him, but she had to understand. He would not leave the Bladebreakers no matter what.

"I won't stop you Max. I know that your old team needs you, and I will happily take you there."

"Look if you don't let me go help them then I will- Wait you're letting me go?" Max seemed baffled, normally his mom would have denied him this.

"You won't go alone. Rick will go with you," Judy said. She knew she couldn't stop her son from going, even if she wanted to, but that didn't mean he had to go alone. She trusted that Rick would protect her son.

"Then I'm going too," Emily said in determination. Michael, Steven and Eddy nodded in agreement. The Bladebreakers were their friends too, and they would assist them in any way they could.

"Then I guess I'll call the airline and get six plane tickets to Bakuten, Japan," Judy said eagerly. She knew that with all of them going, her Max was going to be safer.

"Make that seven," all eyes turned to look at the young popstar, Ming Ming. "I need a trip to Japan, Americans don't know how to appreciate musical talent," she huffed. Ming Ming was a minor popstar in the US, but she could never find a way to reach beyond it. She thought America would be a good place to continue pursuing her musical career, but her dreams were shattered when people only recognized her as the girl in Brooklyn's team.

"Great, I will look for plane tickets to leave as soon as possible," Judy said with a smile as she took in the look of determination in her son's face. Her little Max was all grown up, and she hoped those bladers were put in their place. Max was always underestimated because of his kind heart, but the moment his friends were threatened, he became a formidable opponent.

"Don't worry guys, help is on the way," Max whispered as he pictured the faces of Tyson, Kenny, Daichi, and Hilary. The Bladebreakers were his family, and he would punish those that messed with them.

Elsewhere, in the cold harsh Russian weather, a single figure stood on the rooftop of his mansion. He didn't care that his skin was turning blue, the cold numbed his senses and helped him meditate. Ever since he left Japan he could not find peace, and he didn't understand why.

"Kai, Mr. Dickenson called," the blunette's attention was drawn to his red head friend, Tala. Mr. Dickenson rarely called, and when he did he provided them updates on his former teammates. The old man couldn't take a hint that Kai wanted nothing to do with them anymore. "There's a problem," with those words Tala went inside, and Kai had no other choice but to follow.

They went inside the living room, and Kai noticed that Bryan, Spencer and Ian were already sitting there, waiting for him. They all seemed lost, so Kai assumed that Tala hadn't given them any details either.

"What's up Tala?" Ian finally asked.

"The Bladebreakers were attacked by several mysterious cloaked figures," Tala said seriously. Bryan and Spencer exchanged glances, then they turned to look at the stoic blader. They were half expecting him to show some concern, but Kai's expression remained neutral.

"Tyson will deal with the problem like he does with everything," Kai said indifferently.

"They need our help." Tala said as he began to pace the room. Bryan and Spencer looked bored, while Ian seemed concerned. Tala owed so much to Tyson and he would be damned if he was going to abandon the dragoon wielder when he needed them the most.

"Hn" Kai shrugged carelessly as he began to walk out the room.

"Kai, they're in danger," Tala said in exasperation when Kai continued to walk away. "This time it's different. From what I heard, they were attacking to kill, not to dominate. According to Dickenson, they gave a good beating to Tyson's little girlfriend," at those words Kai froze.

Hilary? They hurt Hilary? He would have been indifferent if anyone else was injured but not with Hilary. Tyson, he knew, could take care of himself. But Hilary? She was defenseless and fragile. What was Tyson thinking letting her get hurt?

"Like Kai said, they can take care of themselves," Bryan said stoically.

Tala would have been angry if he hadn't noticed the tensing of Kai's muscles. 'Ah, so he does care,' Tala smirked. He would convince Kai to go with them back to Japan. All he had to do now was play his cards carefully.

"And let them all die, or worse? Forget the males, you do know what they can do to a beautiful _defenseless_ young lady, don't you Bryan?" Kai stiffened.

That was a low blow but Tala saw it as a necessity. Kai just needed a little encouragement, and taking in his stiff posture and clenched fists, Tala knew that it had worked.

"We can't stay here doing nothing! We gotta help them!" Ian declared passionately.

"The Bladebreakers deserve that much," Spencer added.

"I suppose you're right," Bryan stated. They all turned to look at Kai expectantly.

"Hn," with those parting words Kai left the room, and everyone noticed the slight slam of the door. Kai was upset.

Tala's smirk widened, this trip to Japan would surely be interesting. Kai was always so stoic and elusive, but they all noticed that he wasn't himself ever since they left Japan. Tala could bet anything that Kai was missing the young brunette that followed Tyson around.

"So what's this beautiful lady's name?" Spencer asked out of the blue.

The mere mention of her garnered a reaction from Kai, and Tala wasn't foolish enough to overlook that small detail. Now what to do with that piece of information?

"Her name is Hilary," Tala answered with a devious smirk.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclamer: I don't own beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

Brooklyn somberly looked out the window. Two days had passed since they had dealt with the cloaked bladers, and everything seemed peaceful, perhaps a little too peaceful. Something was going on, and it angered him to not know what it was. It was obvious the attack was not random since there were no other reported attacks. No, the Bladebreakers were the specific targets, and whoever attacked them must have been watching them for a while. The attack was planned, distract then kill. But why? Why would they want the Bladebreakers dead?

A soft groan drew his attention to the sleeping brunette. Truthfully, Brooklyn didn't really care about the mysterious blader's motives. To him, all that mattered was that Hilary and his friends were safe. It angered him that someone had the audacity to hurt Hilary. They messed with the wrong people, and Brooklyn swore to make them all pay.

Hilary groaned again, and Brooklyn approached her worriedly. She was waking up.

Pain, that's what met Hilary when she began to regain consciousness. She groaned as she forced her eyes open. Her vision was blurry but it cleared after a while, and the first thing she noticed was that she was at the dojo. She struggled to sit up, but the moment she sat upright the whole world started spinning around her.

"Lay down Hilary, the doctor said you needed to get some rest." Brooklyn's voice whispered softly. Hilary turned to him and smiled. He offered her some water and she gratefully drank it. For some reason her throat felt dry.

"I'm fine, but what happened?" she asked as she became aware of an excruciating pain on her legs.

"We narrowly avoided being squished to death by a tree," Brooklyn answered. That's when everything came back to her, the bladers, one of them snuck up on them and chopped down a tree. She remembered Brooklyn pushing her out of the way, a painful blow, and then nothing.

"Where are Tyson and the others? Are they alright?" Brooklyn smiled and inclined his head to the side. Hilary followed his line of sight and sighed in relief when she saw Tyson and Daichi snoring loudly. How she could have missed those loud snores was beyond her. Kenny was lying next to Tyson, he had Dizzy clutched against his chest.

"They haven't left your side since the incident." Hilary smiled warmly, it was nice to know they worried about her. "You've been out for two days." Well, that explained her dry throat and her hunger. As if on cue, her stomach growled. She blushed at the sound and Brooklyn chuckled softly.

"I should go make something for you to eat." He was about to leave but Hilary grabbed his hand.

"Hilary?" She didn't reply as she gently pulled him down. Brooklyn didn't struggle and sat beside her.

"You saved my life," Hilary whispered softly as she pulled him on an embrace. Brooklyn was surprised, but instinctively wrapped his arms around her possessively. "Thank you."

"I don't think I could live with myself if something were to happen to you," Brooklyn admitted shyly. Hilary pulled away and looked him in the eyes. Brooklyn's heart began to pound as he saw the way the moonlight shone on her creamy white skin. Her bright ruby eyes sparkled beautifully and her luscious pink lips captivated him. She was the most exquisite woman he had ever laid his eyes upon.

Just like he admired her, she admired him. His gorgeous blue eyes watched her with so much happiness and admiration, that she felt special. The way he held her made her feel wanted and protected. She knew that if it was in his power, he would protect her without caring about himself. Her heart pounded when she saw the serene smile in his face.

Her eyes were drawn to his lips and she wondered if he felt the same pull for her that she felt for him.

Brooklyn gave her a shy smile, but his mouth dropped when he noticed her face was coming near his.

His heart skipped a beat when he felt her moist lips on his cheek. Hilary pulled away and looked him in the eyes gratefully. Completely entranced by her, Brooklyn cupped her cheek tenderly. He stared at her lips in yearning and slowly leaned into her. She gasped softly, but didn't pull away.

"Guys, Hilary's awake," Tyson said as he unknowingly broke the spell between the two teenagers. Daichi and Kenny immediately woke up.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Daichi said as he launched himself at her. Tyson followed Daichi's example and pulled her into a protective embrace.

"Group hug," Tyson cried out as he looked at Kenny and Brooklyn, silently urging them to follow. Kenny smiled shyly and embraced her as well. All eyes landed on Brooklyn, who smiled and reluctantly joined the group hug. Hilary giggle softly and sighed in contentment. This felt right, they all fit in their makeshift family.

They were all comfortably enjoying the group hug…until the door suddenly opened.

"What's up homies?" Grandpa Granger smiled when he saw them all enveloped in a warm embrace. It warmed his old heart that they all found comfort amongst each other. Tyson and Daichi were smiling as usual, but they seemed a little more relaxed. Kenny wasn't giving one of his trademark timid smiles, he was actually smiling. Hilary had been depressed and somber when the Bladebreakers were separated, but ever since Brooklyn showed up, she has started to regain her usual cheerfulness. Brooklyn had been miserable and tormented by his past, but now he wore a heartwarming smile.

"Aren't yawl going to invite me to this homie hug?"

"Grandpa," Tyson groaned in embarrassment. They all pulled away and laughed.

Grandpa Granger didn't tell them that their teammates were on their way to Japan, he preferred to keep it a secret and surprise them.

The following day, the Bladebreakers watched Grandpa Granger suspiciously. He went through his usual everyday routine, but this time he was whistling a cheerful tune. He stared at them with this suspicious grin, and they just knew he was up to something.

"He's up to something," Tyson whispered and they all nodded in agreement. They watched Grandpa suspiciously, looking for any indication about his good mood.

"You would think we weren't attacked a few days ago," Daichi said in exasperation.

"Maybe he got himself a date?" Kenny supplied and they all shivered involuntarily. Grandpa going out on a date? Yikes!

"Do you think it's another tournament?" Brooklyn asked. Tyson shook his head, if that was the case he would already be telling them to start practicing. This was something else.

They heard the phone ringing and they all hid from view. They cracked the door open and tried eavesdropping, maybe this would give them a clue about Grandpa's eagerness. However, they were unaware that Grandpa knew that they were listening in on his conversation.

He wasn't a martial artist for nothing!

"Already? Wonderful, I'll see you in a little while." Grandpa smirked evilly. "I miss you too pumpkin."

Tyson froze in horror. Pumpkin? Maybe Kenny was right after all. Who knew grandpa still had it in him?

"What do you think she looks like?" Tyson asked awkwardly.

"Probably an ugly old bat," Daichi supplied.

"Well, I think grandpa may surprise us and bring in a beautiful woman, several years his junior," Tyson shivered. Grandpa going on a date with a young woman, that was just wrong!

Grandpa watched them the whole time in amusement.

"He called her pumpkin," Kenny analyzed.

"Well I don't know about you Tyson, but I don't find pumpkins attractive," Daichi said in disgust.

"It's a term of endearment. He didn't really mean she looks like a pumpkin.," Tyson told Daichi, who was already gagging.

"And how would you know about this Tyson!? You've never had a girlfriend before!"

"Neither have you!"

"But I'm just a kid!"

"Whatever, besides it's common knowledge that you call a girl something cute!"  
"Pumpkin?! You would call a girl pumpkin? That's an insult. Not only are you calling her ugly, but you're also calling her fat! No wonder you're still single," Daichi taunted.

"I've had enough, stop it!" Hilary intervened. Daichi and Tyson were already blowing steam from their ears, and it was obvious that they were just getting started with the insults.

"But Hil-" One glare was all it took for them to remain silent.

Just then they all heard a loud knock on the door. Tyson and Daichi exchanged glances.

"My money is on a young gold digger," Tyson bet.

"As if! Your grandpa has no gold to spare," Daichi countered. "My money is on a dried up old bat."

They both took off running towards the door eagerly, they were already planning on what food they were going to buy with the money. They practically tore the door of its hinges in their excitement, but pulled away in horror when they saw Mr. Dickenson.

"Hello boys," Mr. Dickenson smiled pleasantly. He noticed the horrified looks in their faces and wondered what was going on. Tyson's mouth dropped, while a smile made its way in Daichi's face.

"Pay up Tyson," Daichi smirked smugly.

"What do you mean 'pay up', monkey boy!?" Tyson growled angrily.

"I bet it was a dried up old bat," he pointed at Mr. Dickenson to prove his point.

"Does he look dried up to you!?" Tyson snapped. Mr. Dickenson sweat dropped. He had no idea whether to be offended or amused.

"May we come in Tyson?" Tyson smiled sheepishly and opened the door for him to walk in.

"We?" He echoed. Mr. Dickenson smiled as several cars parked in the driveway. Hilary, Brooklyn, and Kenny came out to see what the whole commotion was about.

The door in the first vehicle opened and the White Tigers and Mystel came out. Ray walked out and smiled, it felt good to be back.

"Hey guys," Ray smiled eagerly as he slowly walked to greet them.

"Ray," Tyson gasped, but then turned to look at Kenny accusingly.

"Don't look at me, I didn't know," Kenny raised his hands innocently.

The second vehicle the door was thrown open, and Max came bouncing out, followed by the PPB All-Starz and Ming Ming.

"Max is here too," Tyson exclaimed eagerly. Unlike Ray, Max ran towards them with his arms outstretched.

"I missed you guys so much!" Max cried as he practically tackled Tyson and Kenny.

Hilary felt tears pooling in her eyes. She was so happy. All this time she had wished the Bladebreakers were once again reunited, and it seemed her wish had come true. Yes, they were most likely called by Mr. Dickenson because of the threat looming about, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

"Hilary," Max pulled her on a tight embrace. Just as she was about to return the embrace, Hilary noticed that there was one more vehicle. Her heart started pounding, already expecting who it was.

The third vehicle door opened slowly and Kai came out with the Blitzkrieg Boys.

"Kai" Hilary whispered softly.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Here is chapter 10, hope you all like it! :)

Time felt like it had slowed down for the shocked brunette. Her ruby eyes widened when Kai's crimson eyes focused on her. He hadn't changed much from the last time she had seen him. Kai looked as handsome as always wearing his trademark scarf and face paint. Her heart began to speed up as he approached the group. Kai was back, but why?

"Kai, I'm so glad you came," Tyson said as he discretely glanced at Hilary.

"Hn" The blunette's eyes were still focused on Hilary, who swiftly turned away from him and walked away. Normally, she would have approached him and started a one sided conversation with him, but not anymore. She would no longer fool herself in believing that he actually cared about her. No, he made it perfectly clear that she meant nothing to him.

Even after she knew about Valentina, Hilary had tried to contact Kai. She wanted to at least maintain their supposed friendship. Yet, Kai never answered her calls, nor did he reply to any of her text messages. Would it have killed him to at least answer once?

Hilary didn't know what to feel about Kai's return, but she did know that she was tired of being ignored and doing the chasing. She wanted someone to like her and seek out her company for a change.

Hilary stalked towards her room, but froze when she felt a sharp pain in her legs. Darn, she had forgotten about her recent injury. The shock had made her forget all about her aching legs, but now it returned full force. She panted as she leaned against the wall for support.

She suddenly felt a pair of hands take hold of her shoulders. She gasped and turned to find Brooklyn looking at her in concern.

"Hilary, you should be more careful. Here let me help you," Brooklyn spoke softly as he gently pulled her against him. Hilary's eyes widened, but didn't struggle.

"You followed me." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, I was just so worried about you. You've only just woken up, and I feel like you've had enough to deal with for today," Hilary felt him tighten his hold on her. "Come on, let's take you to bed." Hilary smiled at his concern but shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen the guys in over a year. I want to see them." She had taken off without a word to anyone, and she still wanted to catch up with Max and Ray.

"I would prefer that you get some rest, but if that's what you want, I'll take you to them," Brooklyn sighed as he wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. He couldn't deny her this. It was perfectly understandable that she wanted to see her friends. However, he would have preferred her to stay in her room away from everyone else, especially _him_.

Brooklyn had noticed the way she reacted to Kai's appearance. It was obvious her heart was still wounded, and that hurt him. He had no idea if she still cared for the stoic blader. He desperately wanted to ask about her feelings for Kai, but he feared her answer. It tormented him to imagine her loving someone that was unworthy of her affections.

Kai's attention was solely on Hilary, and his eyes followed her until she disappeared from his sight. The blunette had an interest in her, what kind, he didn't know yet.

"Brooklyn?" Brooklyn looked at the beautiful woman resting in his arms and made up his mind. He had to confess his feelings. He had to tell her before Kai ruined everything.

The Bladebreakers were in the backyard catching up while the rest of the teams socialized. Max and Ray spoke of what they did throughout the year. Ray had been busy teaching beyblading and martial arts to the children of his village. Max had joined his mother in trying to create new launching gear since beyblading had become a huge hit in America.

"I heard you're still the world champion," Max commented and, as expected, Tyson's ego doubled in size.

"You heard correctly, Maxy. Mr. Dickenson said that I have made a record holding the championship title four times in a row. You are currently sitting next to a legend." Daichi narrowed his eyes angrily. That Tyson was always showing off.

"Shut up already, Tyson. The only reason you won the tournament was because I got sick. I couldn't battle to my fullest," Daichi growled.

"There's always an excuse with you Daichi." Tyson smirked and imitated Daichi in an overly high pitched tone. "I got sick, it was the earthquake's fault, I got distracted."

"That is not true!"

"You know it is!"

"Some things never change," Ray laughed. He had truly missed their antics.

They continued chatting, while the rest of their teammates mingled.

Kai stood away from everyone as he searched for Hilary. She left without a word, and that was not like her at all. She was probably tired, he concluded. Kai hadn't missed the bruises marring her usually unblemished skin, nor did he miss the bandages covering her entire legs. Someone gravely injured her, just the thought about it caused his blood to boil. What was that idiotic Tyson thinking? While, Hilary looked completely injured, Tyson didn't even have a scratch on him. He should have protected her, but it was obvious that he didn't. He would have a word with the moronic world champion.

It unnerved him that he worried about her, and ever since he left Japan, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Why? He didn't know. He just couldn't get those bright ruby eyes out of his head. Her tinkling laughter haunted his dreams, and it irked him that she was always in his thoughts. Valentina was his girlfriend, yet she never consumed his thoughts.

"Where's Hilary?" Max's question reached his ears. Kai focused his attention on Tyson, waiting for an answer.

"I noticed she left a while ago, but she hasn't returned," Ray added in concern.

"Oh, Hilary…she's umm…." Tyson exchanged glances with Kenny.

"She's resting," Kenny quickly answered.

"Tyson, Mr. Dickenson informed us that Hilary was seriously injured. What exactly happened?" Ray finally asked. The chatter stopped as everyone turned to look at the world champion expectantly.

Tyson didn't disappoint and went over the details of the attack, but he did gloss over some details about Hilary and Brooklyn's encounter with the bladers. He didn't really know how his friends would react in hearing that the girl they all cherished and adored was chummy with Brooklyn, especially Kai. Tyson didn't know what Kai thought about Hilary, but he did know that he was very protective of her. Telling him about Hilary's growing relationship with Brooklyn would surely end in disaster.

Kai watched Tyson carefully, he was hiding something. He was very vivid in his description about his attack with the bladers, but when he talked about Hilary's encounter he was rather vague. Everyone that knew Tyson would realize that he was always thorough with descriptions, but he seemed eager to finish the recount. What was he hiding?

"So where's Brooklyn?" Mystel stepped forward and asked. The only reason he had shown up was to see his old teammate, but he was nowhere to be found.

Kai didn't really care about Brooklyn, but now that he thought about it, where was he? Was it a coincidence that he disappeared at the same time Hilary did? Yes, it was most likely a coincidence, Hilary would never even dare approach Brooklyn, not after everything he did.

Just as he finished that thought, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to glare at the person that dared touch him.

"Hilary's missing, shouldn't we keep an eye on her? I mean she is injured." Tala feigned concern and turned to Kai, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Hn"

"And that maniac is also missing. I wonder what _that_ means." Kai's eyes narrowed, so he wasn't the only one to notice the coincidental disappearance. "It's odd don't you think?"

"What is?" Kai asked indifferently, but if one looked closely, they would notice that Kai was losing his cool.

"Hilary and Brooklyn were attacked at the same time, meaning they were together, and now the dynamic duo is missing at the same time. What a coincidence, don't you agree Kai?"

The blunette wordlessly walked away, while Tala smirked victoriously. Now that he knew his weakness, Kai was so predictable. However, even if it provided him with entertainment, Tala wasn't just exploiting Kai's emotions for the fun of it. No, Tala was doing this because he knew that the ruby eyed brunette was the woman that Kai really wanted, even if he himself had not realized it yet.

It's true, Kai was in a relationship with a stunning woman, Valentina, but even with all her beauty and grace, she just couldn't compete against Hilary. Valentina never made him smile, and Kai seemed to care less about her. He ignored her most of the time, and he avoided physical contact at all costs. Tala knew that Valentina was a mere distraction, but he had always assumed it was because Kai felt lonely. Now he understood, Kai was using Valentina to get Hilary out of his head, and it was obviously not working.

Tala sighed as he watched Kai disappear from the room. He was beginning to question his decision to withhold information from Kai.

"I wonder," Tala put his hands in his pockets, "What will Kai do when he hears of Brooklyn's valiant rescue of little miss Hilary?"

"Did you say something?" Bryan asked as he suddenly approached him.

"Nothing at all," Tala answered as a thought came to him. If Brooklyn sacrificed himself so easily to save Hilary, did that mean that he had feelings for her? That had to be it! No man would risk his life for a mere acquaintance. Tala stared at Tyson as it dawned on him. Tyson was reluctant to talk about Brooklyn and Hilary because he knew. He knew that Brooklyn was infatuated with Hilary, but did she reciprocate?

"You better hurry Kai, or you will lose her."

Kai silently walked around the dojo hoping to run into Hilary or Brooklyn. He just hoped they weren't together because something told him that they were more than just acquainted. Hilary and Brooklyn, it seemed impossible to imagine. Yet, this was Hilary, she was more than able to captivate any guy with just a glimpse of those captivating ruby eyes. Hilary was kind, beautiful and funny, any guy would be lucky to have her.

Kai heard voices coming from upstairs and silently followed them. He heard Hilary's voice and for a moment he was overjoyed. However, that moment was short-lived as he felt a sharp pain in his chest when he finally saw her. Kai's eyes widened and his fists shook with an unidentified emotion, but he couldn't turn away.

Brooklyn was possessively embracing Hilary as he planted a kiss on her crimson cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclamer: I don't own beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Here's chapter 11, I'm sorry for taking so long in updating I have been very busy with school :/ Anyways, hope you enjoy this new chapter! And thank you for your comments, reviews, follows, or favorites, it really means a lot. Thank you! :)

Hilary blushed prettily as Brooklyn kissed her gently. Her heart fluttered as he pulled away and met her gaze. His gentle blue eyes watched her with such intensity that he made her knees buckle. Had he not been supporting her, she would have surely fallen.

It had been nothing more than a quick peck on the cheek, but to Hilary, it felt like it was so much more. Brooklyn was shy and timid around her, and he rarely ever initiated physical contact. Hilary understood that this was a huge step for Brooklyn and wondered what it meant to him.

Did he have feelings for her? Was he just being friendly?

"Hilary," he whispered softly. Hilary's heart accelerated as he caressed her face softly. She softly leaned into him and smiled. "I want to tell you that I-" Brooklyn froze as his whole body immediately stiffened. He clenched his jaw and released her.

"Brooklyn? What's wrong?" Hilary asked worriedly. Had she done something wrong? He had been holding her tenderly and then he just shoved her aside like if she had the plague.

"Nothing's wrong. I just think that everyone is wondering where you are. We should go before they send someone to look for you." Brooklyn smiled at her in assurance but Hilary felt that something was off. Brooklyn's posture had completely changed; his smile was assuring, yet it also held a bit of challenge. He was acting like he usually did before a beybattle against Tyson.

"Yeah, you're right," Hilary agreed skeptically and a little hurt.

Brooklyn pulled her against him, but Hilary didn't smile like she usually did. She liked being held by the gentle red head but apparently she was the only one that enjoyed it. He seemed almost eager to get rid of her and take her to Tyson and the others.

Hilary frowned when he led her towards the backyard and then abruptly excused himself.

He hadn't even waited for a reply.

Once Hilary was outside with the others, Brooklyn walked towards the dojo. He kept walking until he felt a pair of arms forcedly push him against a wall. Brooklyn didn't even pretend to have been startled and looked into a pair of infuriated crimson eyes.

"Kai," Brooklyn acknowledged him, completely unimpressed.

"Stay away from her," Kai growled as he noticed the challenging glint in Brooklyn's eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Brooklyn said as he brushed off imaginary dust. "I would give you my reasons, but frankly, it's none of your business." Kai's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Back off, I won't let you hurt her."

Zeus pulsed in Brooklyn's pocket as he felt his master's mounting rage. Who did that insolent blunette think he was talking to? Brooklyn was not the one who brought Hilary to tears. It was Kai! Just like it had been Kai who had lowered the lovely brunette's self-esteem. He most likely, no, he definitely _knew_ about Hilary's feelings. Yet, he strung her along and then ditched her like she was yesterday's trash! Because of him Hilary cried herself to sleep, because of him Hilary felt worthless. He left her heart in pieces, and now _he_ had the audacity to warn _him_ to back off!

Anyone that hurt Hilary was in Brooklyn's black list, and Kai was definitely number one.

"You have no right to tell me what to do," Brooklyn's fist clenched tightly. Kai didn't reply and that fed Brooklyn's anger. " _You_ should be the one to back off, Kai."

Kai didn't reply as he quickly reached out and grabbed the front of Brooklyn's shirt and pushed him against the wall again.

"I'm warning you," Kai growled. Brooklyn snarled as he mentally prepared himself to get into a fight with the arrogant blader. However, Zeus chose that moment to open their mental connection, completely stopping him from doing anything.

It wasn't odd that Zeus tried to communicate with him, even if they had never really exchanged words. Zeus only reached out with emotions, so Brooklyn only got a general idea of what was going on with his bitbeast. Tyson had told him that Dragoon had actually spoken to him on several occasions, but that had never happened to Brooklyn and Zeus. Maybe their bond wasn't as strong?

At the moment, Brooklyn felt a sense of warning and unease. That was odd, Zeus rarely felt uneasy, he was usually calm and collected, unless…there was danger nearby…that's it! Zeus always warned him when the cloaked bladers were nearby.

Without warning Brooklyn ran towards the backyard. He had to check on Hilary and the others. Kai didn't even notice that the red head was gone since Dranzer was urgently pulsing in his pocket. Kai frowned as he wondered what had his bitbeast so worried. His phoenix had been silent for the past year, so this unexpected urgency had him feeling uneasy.

The last time Dranzer warned him about danger was during his beybattle against Brooklyn and he had nearly died. Kai always took Dranzer's warnings seriously, but now he had to figure out what his faithful companion was warning him about.

Kai then noticed that Brooklyn was gone and guessed that he had gone back to the backyard with the others. Kai wordlessly walked towards the backyard until he heard a loud pounding on the door. If possible, Dranzer's pulsing doubled in urgency. Now disturbed, Kai silently headed for the front door. The pounding continued but it gradually got weaker.

"It's the bladers," Brooklyn's voice sounded near him and Kai turned to look at the red head, who was looking at the door suspiciously. Kai's hand reached for the door knob. "Don't." Brooklyn warned.

The Russian blader ignored him as he slowly opened the door. Brooklyn braced himself, but gasped when he saw the beaten form that fell from exhaustion and blood loss.

"Hiro," Brooklyn called as he helped Kai lift up the beaten blader.

Hiro panted as blood dripped on the dojo floor. His breathing was shallow and labored, and he seemed just about ready to pass out.

"Who did this to you?" Brooklyn asked, already knowing the answer. Hiro's wordlessly answered as he weakly raised his head to look at the open door.

Kai and Brooklyn looked outside and noticed the dark clouds illuminating the sky. Yet, that wasn't what drew their attention. Outside there were about fifteen silhouettes watching them intently.

"They know everyone's here," Hiro whispered as he passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclamer: I don't own beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Thank you for reading, hope you like this chapter :D

Brooklyn warily looked at the cloaked bladers as he slowly lowered Hiro to the floor. The redhead reached for Zeus, who was pulsing in warning, there were a lot more bladers than what he had anticipated. The bladers didn't move, they merely looked at him, perhaps taking joy in watching him squirm uncomfortably.

Brooklyn had already assessed the problem and knew that there was no way that he could take them on. Even with Kai's assistance, which was highly unlikely, they wouldn't be able to stand a chance against them.

"We should call Tyson and the others," Brooklyn whispered to the blunette, who was coldly assessing the new threat.

Brooklyn began to back off slowly, ready to call the Dragoon wielder. With Tyson and the rest, they would have a higher chance of victory. Brooklyn wasn't arrogant enough to believe that Zeus and Dranzer would stand a chance against the bladers, who were now radiating an ever darker aura than last time.

The red head was almost to the hallway when he realized that he had missed one major detail, Kai wasn't the type to run away and get help from anyone. He was a loner and knowing him, he would try to take care of things on his own.

His suspicion was proven when Kai narrowed his eyes as he slowly stepped outside. Almost instantly the bladers reacted. In perfect sync, fifteen beyblades were launched with deadly accuracy. Kai wasted no time and sent his Dranzer to counter. His faithful phoenix was easily overpowered and sent crashing against a tree. A loud crash and thump sounded as the tree fell. A smoke of dirt covered the blunette's beyblade. Kai didn't turn to see his beyblade since he was too busy observing his opponents.

As the dust settled, Brooklyn could see Dranzer again. The beyblade seemed completely unscathed, but it had narrowly avoided being crushed.

"What are you doing Kai?" Brooklyn asked in frustration. He had no choice but to help him now. He just hoped that Tyson and the rest would notice the commotion.

Kai ignored him as he stared down at his opponents. Brooklyn took out his beyblade and launched. Zeus landed next to Dranzer, who didn't wait for him and charged. Brooklyn sighed in frustration and ordered Zeus to help Dranzer.

Suddenly, the fiery phoenix appeared with a loud shriek. Dranzer violently flapped its wings and with no hesitation attacked. Brooklyn's eyes widened as he noticed the way Dranzer attacked the beyblades, it almost seemed as if Kai's bitbeast was angry. Kai furrowed his brow in confusion as he watched his beyblade continue to viciously attack. Confused, yet not willing to be shown off, Brooklyn summoned Zeus.

Zeus slammed against the first beyblade, but was thrown off by the amount of force it used to counter. Brooklyn was a little surprised at the beyblade's strength but realized that the bladers weren't going to go easy on him anymore. Last time the bladers had been toying with them, hoping to lull them into a false sense of security. Then out of nowhere, they had used a dirty trick to take them down. This time they wouldn't use the same strategy. This time they were more serious, if Hiro's state was any indication. Brooklyn smirked confidently, it was time for him to get serious too.

"King of Darkness," Brooklyn cried out, and Zeus instantly obeyed. The beyblade flew off and violently crashed against the concrete. It instantly shattered into many pieces as it lay in a dent the size of a soccer ball. Brooklyn smirked, but growled angrily when the blader merely took out another beyblade and relaunched. Seven other beyblades joined him as they all attacked Zeus.

Kai was fairing no better since he was against seven bladers, and Dranzer wasn't obeying him. The phoenix was on a rampage and it refused to listen to its master.

"Dranzer, blazing gig!" Kai ordered, but his bitbeast merely rammed against the nearest beyblade. Dranzer let out an ear piercing shriek as it continued its assault.

Brooklyn briefly glanced towards the dojo and wondered what was keeping Tyson and the others. Surely they had heard the commotion. Could they have encountered more bladers too? Was Hilary safe?

Suddenly a sharp pain drew his attention back to the battle. He noticed a beyblade was coming back, apparently it had zipped past him and cut his cheek in the process.

"Zeus, King of-" He was interrupted when three beyblades slammed against Zeus and threw him against the wall. The force of the blow caused Brooklyn to take off flying after his bitbeast.

The sound of flesh against wood could be heard as the redhead hit the fence. The wood cracked under the pressure and pieces of wood pierced Brooklyn's flesh.

Brooklyn let out a silent cry of pain as blood oozed from his injuries. His legs ached as he reopened injuries from his previous encounter with the bladers. He may have acted like it was nothing, for Hilary's sake, but truthfully he still hadn't healed yet. His legs still felt sore and weak.

Brooklyn groaned in pain as he struggled to get up. He strained to pull out the pieces of wood that were embedded in his back. After he was done with his back, he removed one that was stabbed in his shoulder. He yanked out the giant splinter and let out another cry of pain.

Kai gave him a sideway glance, but turned away since he suddenly felt the pressure of fifteen bladers against him. Brooklyn coughed up blood as he picked up his beyblade. Fortunately, his bitbeast wasn't as beat up as he was.

"Can you still fight Zeus?" Zeus pulsed in his hand and Brooklyn smiled. He painfully relaunched and sent his bitbeast to help Kai, who was close to collapsing.

"Dranzer! Blazing gig!" Kai cried out in frustration. Again he was ignored by the phoenix as it randomly attacked the beyblades. A blader's cloak rose enough to reveal an evil smirk. As if it felt the evil emanating from him, Dranzer went to attack him with deadly accuracy. However, the phoenix was stopped as several bladers revealed their bitbeasts. The smirking blader cockily withdrew his beyblade and nodded to his comrades. The rest of the bladers cackled as they sent their bitbeasts to attack Dranzer.

Kai growled angrily as Dranzer was sent flying. The cloaked blader snickered as the bitbeasts' blew Kai against the dojo wall. The wall broke as Kai cried out in pain.

"Does it hurt Kai?" The blader asked sinisterly. Brooklyn was prepared to go help him when they knocked him down as well. He conveniently landed next to Kai, who was now sporting several serious injuries. Brooklyn screamed in pain as the all too familiar sound of flesh against wood resonated in his ears.

"Brooklyn," the cloaked blader called to him, almost as if just noticing he was there. "How fortunate, you and Kai can die together," he cackled.

The bitbeasts prepared to attack both of them again when suddenly several beyblades flew to intercept the attacks.

"Dragoon!"

"Get em' Strata Dragoon!"

"Drigger!"

"Draciel!"

"Wolborg!"

Brooklyn painfully turned and watched as everyone called their respective bitbeast's name.

"Brooklyn," Hilary gasped as she saw the state the redhead was in. She ran towards him and Brooklyn forced a smile. He couldn't let her know just how much pain he was in. "Look at what they did to you," Hilary's eyes began to tear up as she removed pieces of wood from him. Once he was uncovered she covered her mouth and shook uncontrollably. His shirt was drenched in blood, and several injuries were still bleeding.

"Are you alright Hilary?" Brooklyn asked as he placed a hand on the brunette's cheek. Hilary began to cry, even injured, Brooklyn still worried about her. A silent cough drew her attention to the injured blunette that was lying beside Brooklyn.

"Kai," Hilary gasped and immediately started removing the splinters that covered him. Kai spit out blood, while Hilary assessed his injuries. He was not as injured as Brooklyn, but his injuries still looked serious.

"Hiro!" Tyson cried out in surprise and anger as he noticed that his brother was passed down by the door. He immediately ran and took his older brother in his arms.

No, this wasn't the reunion that Tyson was hoping for. He hadn't seen his brother since the whole BEGA fiasco, but he had still hoped to see his role model after so long. At first, he had felt angry and betrayed when his brother was working for Boris, but with time he had learned to forgive him. He had waited so long to finally be reunited and see his older brother again. He finally got his wish, just not the way he had hoped.

Tyson felt tears well up in his eyes when his brother was unresponsive. He gently shook him, but there was still no response. Tyson began to shake his brother violently.

"Hiro wake up!" Tyson choked out as tears now freely spilled from his eyes.

"Tyson stop," Kenny cried as he now ran towards his heartbroken friend.

"Kenny! He's not breathing," Tyson cried as he embraced his brother. Hilary stood up and turned to see Tyson, who let out painful cries. Her heart broke seeing her best friend in pain.

"Kai are you alright?" Tala asked as he and Mystel approached their respective friends. A loud cackle drew their attention to the leader of the cloaked bladers. The rest of his comrades had been taken down by the teams, and he was the only one with a beyblade left.

That was it! The fiery brunette saw red as she turned to the bladers. Her blood boiled when the sound of Tyson's heart wrenching cries along with Kai and Brooklyn's painful breathing reached her ears. How dare they? They left Ozuma from the Saint Shields, Hiro, Brooklyn and Kai close to death.

Hilary pulled out her beyblade, she may not have a bitbeast, but she was going to do everything in her power to take him out nonetheless. Nobody messed with her friends, and she was going to teach this arrogant blader a lesson or two about messing with her loved ones.

"Hilary," Kenny called out to her worried. She wasn't completely healed from the previous attack, and she was certainly not ready to beyblade so soon.

The brunette ignored Kenny and held a firm grip on her launcher.

"Hilary no!"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclamer: I do not own beyblade or the characters. But I do won the plot.

A/N: Since it's been taking a while for me to update, I've decided to post two chapters today! Hope you all like it! Again, thank you to everyone that has been reading my story. It means a lot :)

Hilary's blood rushed to her ears as she launched her beyblade. She ignored everyone's warnings and almost winced when she realized that they all considered her useless. Well, she couldn't really blame them, she had always been watching from the sidelines while Tyson and the rest took care of the problems. She was just there to provide moral support, but no more! She was going to join the battles from now on. She wouldn't let anyone mess with her loved ones and she would exterminate those that tried, starting with the arrogant blader.

Hilary's beyblade finally reached its mark and landed next to the only spinning beyblade. The blader's attention finally focused on her and smiled mockingly. His beyblade rammed against hers and he easily overpowered her. Hilary stood her ground as he chuckled in amusement.

"Pathetic," he taunted. Hilary's form began to shake, many thought it was because she was trying hard not to cry, but Tyson, Daichi, Kenny and Brooklyn knew better. She was seething!

"I'm pathetic? Says the one who won't even show his face!" Hilary retorted as her beyblade began to gain ground. As Brooklyn had noticed, her strength increased with her anger. The blader's mocking smile morphed into a frown. She was getting serious, and now so was he. His beyblade crashed against hers and sent it flying. Hilary was blown away by the force and landed on Ray, who was prepared to launch his beyblade to help her. Ray violently crashed against the ground, but Hilary was fine. Ray had taken the full blow.

"I'm sorry Ray," Hilary whispered as she struggled to get up. Her bruised legs could barely hold her weight. Ray moaned in pain but smiled at her. It wasn't her fault, he had gotten in the way, and he honestly didn't mind. At least, he broke her fall.

Tala and Max gripped their launchers, fully prepared to attack the blader but Hilary stopped them. "Stop! He's mine," Hilary screamed as her beyblade started spinning with a stronger force.

The beyblade flew towards the blader, but time seemed to have suddenly stopped for Hilary. Everything moved in slow motion and the whole scenery turned into black and white. Her heart began to pound and her palms became sweaty. 'What's going on?' she asked herself as her beyblade began to glow.

'Shiro' a powerful voice said to her. Hilary's eyes widened as she searched for the speaker of that voice. Her eyes landed on her beyblade that was slowly making its way towards the blader, and it was the only object that had color.

"Who are you?" Hilary whispered in confusion, she felt like she knew him, but she had never even heard his voice before.

"From now on, I will be your faithful companion. Now, summon me." Before Hilary could respond, everything went back to normal, almost as if nothing had happened.

"Summon me," Hilary whispered to herself, and she somehow knew what to do. "Shiro, come on out!" Hilary ordered. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she was almost disheartened when nothing happened.

"Have you gone insane?" The blader asked as his beyblade intercepted hers. Just then, a blinding light came out of her beyblade and everyone watched in awe as an enormous white eight-tailed fox came out of her beyblade.

"A bitbeast," Kenny stated the obvious. Yet, nobody paid attention as they were all enraptured by the ethereal bitbeast in front of them.

"Hilary," Brooklyn whispered in surprise. It was true that he had felt the beginnings of an untapped power within her beyblade, and he already expected a bitbeast. However, seeing it happen was still a pleasant surprise.

"Finish him Shiro!" Hilary cried out and her bitbeast easily obeyed. The white fox slammed against his opponent and crushed his beyblade. Yet, it didn't stop there. Her beyblade flew against the blader and effectively slashed his cheek and ripped off his cloak.

Everyone waited in anticipation to see the face of their attacker, hoping to get an idea on why he attacked. The cloak fell, revealing raven black hair and crimson eyes. His creamy white skin seemed surrealistic as it paled in contrast to the raven strands that fell to his shoulders. He was a very handsome young man, he seemed to be around their age.

The original Bladebreakers, Max, Ray, Kai and Tyson took a glimpse of his face, yet none of them recognized him. However, there was a strange sense of déjà vu for them. His presence somehow felt familiar.

"Who are you?" Max finally asked. Wicked crimson eyes stared back at him, and Max visibly winced at his penetrating stare. A smirk made its way into his face again, and despite her dislike of the figure, Hilary could not deny that the smirk, though evil, made him look even more attractive.

"Maxy, don't tell me you don't remember me?" He asked in mock hurt.

"I've never seen you before in my life," Max retorted, and it was true, but the blonde felt like he had encountered him before.

"I see; you've never seen me in this form before."

"Quit your games! Now speak," Kai interjected as he struggled to get up. The bladers eyes landed on Kai, and everyone could notice his contempt towards the blunette.

"Kai, you out of everyone here should know me," he sneered. Kai felt Dranzer's anger surge as his beyblade began to glow. Apparently, Dranzer knew him, but from where? "I see Dranzer hasn't forgotten me, it's been a while since he and I battled."

Kai's eyes widened in realization, but that was impossible right? If he was right, then it would explain why his faithful phoenix was in a rampage earlier. He recognized the threat, and he warned him about it.

"I see you remember me now, Kai," he smirked cockily. The rest of the bladers watched him with similar smirks. Hilary didn't know what to make out of all of this. She didn't have the slightest clue on his identity, but apparently Kai and the rest vaguely recognized him.

"What's going on, Kai? Who is he?" Ray asked impatiently. Drigger pulsed in his pocket, almost as if his bitbeast was trying to give him the answer.

Kai took a step forward and met the bladers crimson eyes, the eyes that resembled his own.

"Black Dranzer"

The blader smirked in answer, while Kai stared at him in disbelief. How could it be Black Dranzer? That was impossible. Taking everyone's confusion, the blader cackled and disappeared with the rest of his henchmen.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Happy holiday! :D Hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Hilary vaguely remembered Tyson telling her about Kai's formal tendencies and that he had gone power hungry for an all-powerful beyblade. Black Dranzer, was the bitbeast's name, it was a beyblade much stronger, yet similar to the original Dranzer. Fortunately, Tyson and the rest snapped Kai out of it and together they defeated the power hungry beyblade. However, after its defeat, Kai allowed the beyblade to sink into the bottom of a frozen lake. According to Tyson, that was the last time they ever saw that beyblade.

Hilary knew enough about Black Dranzer, yet she couldn't explain how the leader of the cloaked blader be called Black Dranzer as well. He was a human of flesh and bones; so why does he share the same name as a bitbeast? Unless Kai was mistaken….no that wasn't it. The individual didn't deny it, so it must be true.

"Brooklyn, wake up," Mystel's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Hilary immediately ran towards the beaten red head and looked him over in concern. She could worry about the mysterious blader after she made sure her friends were safe.

Speaking of friends, Hilary's eyes instantly landed on Tyson who was embracing his brother. Her eyes softened as she noticed his slumped shoulders and silent whimpers. Hiro was his brother, so nobody could blame Tyson for his open display of pain.

"Let me take a look at him, Tyson," Ray whispered softly. Tyson's response was tightening his hold on his lifeless brother. "Please, Tyson, I just want to help you."

Hilary turned to Brooklyn again and noticed that Mystel was carrying him inside. His injuries were serious, but it was obvious that he was being taken care of. Her eyes then turned to Kai, who refused any help when it was obvious that he needed it. Tala and the rest of the Blitzkrieg boys were following him inside.

Finally, Hilary's eyes landed on Tyson again, and she ran towards him. Ray, Daichi, Max and Kenny were trying to tell him to release Hiro, but he refused. When she reached Tyson's side she sat next to him. Everyone backed off a little, while Tyson's tears fell silently. Hilary smiled sadly and placed a hand on his shoulder. Tyson slowly turned his attention to her and then back to his brother.

"Tyson," Hilary whispered softly. Tyson turned to look at her again, and then his cries turned louder as he lay his head on her shoulder. Hilary combed her hands through his hair as she felt his form shake violently. Daichi, Max and Kenny were already in tears, while Ray seemed close to getting there. It was not a common occurrence to see the usually ecstatic Tyson brought to tears.

Hilary then turned to look at Hiro, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. Memories of him flashed in her mind and she swore to herself that she would make sure his death was avenged. As she stared at him, she noticed a slight twitch of his eyes. Hilary's eyes widened and she instinctively pushed Tyson away. Tyson seemed hurt, but didn't say anything since Hilary gently grabbed Hiro. Her hand went to find his pulse and she couldn't contain the smile that blossomed in her face when she felt it. It was weak, but still there.

"He's alive," she cried in happiness. Everyone cheered while Tyson seemed confused, he didn't know how to react. His shattered heart couldn't comprehend the fact that his brother was alive. Finally, her words processed, and he smiled. "You're going to be fine Hiro; I'll take care of you."

Max and Ray helped Tyson lift his brother and take him inside. Tyson gave Hilary a small smile and went inside.

Hilary returned the smile and watched as everyone disappeared inside the dojo. However, when they were all gone she looked around, searching for any threats. She knew the bladers were gone, but she also knew that they could come back at any time. They were known to strike when they least expect it, and she couldn't allow them to catch them by surprise again.

Her legs began to feel heavy and she was reminded of her injuries. She had to ignore the pain for now, she had to be strong for her teammates and friends.

Her eyes found the many damages the dojo suffered and she winced when she saw the splinters that were covered in pools of blood. The blood belonged to Hiro, Kai and Brooklyn, and that made her angry beyond belief. She should have gotten there sooner, but the bladers had distracted them by sending them a heavily bruised and bleeding Ozuma followed by three other cloaked bladers. Everyone had been too distracted by the destruction and battles in the backyard to notice or hear the battle going on in the front entrance. Her hands balled into fists and they shook with barely concealed anger. If they had gotten there sooner Kai and Brooklyn wouldn't have been hurt that badly.

'Brooklyn, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from them.' Hilary thought as she remembered the red head's serious injuries. He always went out of his way to protect her, and she nearly failed him. She should have noticed sooner that he was missing.

A calming feeling suddenly washed over her and Hilary's attention was drawn to her beyblade. Her bitbeast was consoling her. She took out her Shiro and smiled, she had a bitbeast! She couldn't believe it, but the nice picture of a white fox was beautifully painted in the center of her beyblade. She had seen his glowing white fur and his magnificent blue eyes. His eight tails were tinted with black streaks. He was perfect and a lot more than what she could have ever dreamed of.

Once she felt sure that the bladers weren't coming back any time soon, Hilary went back inside to see how everyone was doing. She walked towards the dojo and noticed that everyone was there, including Tyson. The only ones that were missing were Hiro, Ozuma, Kai and Brooklyn.

"Where are they?" Hilary asked softly, so she wouldn't startle anyone. All eyes fell on her and Tyson gave her a sad fleeting smile.

"The doctors are in there right now." Tyson said as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. His cap lay forgotten in the seat next to him.

"Why didn't they take them to the hospital?" Hilary asked in confusion. They were all severely injured and they couldn't just get treated as if it were a common cold.

Tyson sighed sadly as he turned on the TV. Hilary's eyes widened when she noticed the destruction in the city. Buildings were knocked over, houses were on fire, and several paramedics were escorting injured patients to the hospital.

"Those bastards attacked more than just us," Tyson sighed in defeat.

"There are a lot more bladers than what we first thought," Tala added as he watched the mass destruction. It was obvious that several bitbeasts had attacked the defenseless city, while they were fighting a handful of bladers.

"They aren't targeting just us anymore," Kenny commented as he looked at several news reports in his laptop. Several videos were up on the web and most news stories talked about several cloaked bladers.

"We have to stop them," Lee spoke up with fierce anger. Attacking them was one thing, but did they have to attack innocent people too? At least they could defend themselves, but everyone else was practically defenseless. The police tried to help, but what good could they be against the power of the bitbeasts?

"We don't even know how many we're dealing with," Rick said angrily. Everyone was silenced as they took in his words. He was right.

"That guy, the leader," Ian spoke up and everyone turned to look at him expectantly. "I've seen him before."

"Of course you have, he's Black Dranzer," Spencer said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know that," Ian snapped. "But I didn't mean his presence. I meant his face. I've seen him before, but he wasn't Black Dranzer."

"What do you mean?" Hilary asked when everyone just looked at him in confusion.

"I mean that the guy wasn't originally Black Dranzer. He's being possessed by the dark bitbeast." Ian said as he started to recall the bitbeasts that the others bladers had.

"Now that you mention it, I've seen them before too," Bryan said. "Yeah, those bitbeasts belonged to some of the guys back at the abbey."

Hilary processed what they said and it made sense. Black Dranzer didn't suddenly become human, he was still a bitbeast, but he was now possessing the body of a person. It was most likely the same for the rest of the bitbeasts.

"So you're telling me that there's a possibility that they are all possessed?" Ray asked in numb shock. Last time he had been in the abbey he had seen dozens of bladers.

"Most likely," Kenny said reluctantly. Kenny wasn't a negative person, but he liked to consider all possibilities, and he had hard evidence for his belief. The amount of destruction wasn't done by just a few bladers. Dozens of them were involved.

"What does this all mean?" Emily asked uncomfortably.

"It means, that if they possessed every kid in the abbey then I have a good estimation with how many we're dealing with," Tala said, and from his dejected tone, they knew they were a lot.

"How many?" Mariah asked confidently. She had faith that they would stop the imminent threat. Tyson always found a way. Her eyes found the blunette and her faith wavered when she noticed his defeated expression.

"About 200, give or take a couple dozen," at Tala's answer, everyone visibly deflated. They couldn't defeat that many, and several of their best bladers were injured.

"We can manage," Hilary's voice piped in. She couldn't allow her friends to give up hope because that, to Hilary, meant that they were giving up. "All we need is to call for more aid."

Tyson's eyes gained some shine as he remembered his various friends that he had met over the years. He could call them for assistance. He looked around and smiled when he saw the Blitzkrieg boys, the Saint Shields (minus Ozuma), the PPB All-Starz, the White Tigers and some of BEGA.

His smile grew as he remembered the other teams that he knew would help, Barthez Battallion, F- Dynasty, the Majestics, and team Psykick.

The Bladebreakers were never alone.

The door opened and Grandpa Granger followed by Mr. Dickenson came out of the room. They had accompanied the two doctors to assist them with anything they needed. Since the bladers had attacked the city, the nurses couldn't go to give the doctors some assistance. The only reason they had even been attended was because the two doctors were good friends of Mr. Dickenson.

"So, will they be alright?" Mr. Dickenson and Grandpa Granger exchanged looks and then smiled full heartedly.

"All four of them will be fine, homies," Hilary felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders as she smiled. Tyson's eyes watered as tears of joy flowed down his face. He still couldn't believe that his brother was going to be alright. "Hiro and Ozuma are still in critical condition, but the doctor says that they'll both be fine." Mariam smiled and happily embraced her teammates.

"Kai suffered great injuries and a few broken bones, but he'll recover with time and patience," Mr. Dickenson added. The Blitzkrieg boys' reactions weren't as enthusiastic, but if you looked closely you could see a faint smile in their lips. "And Brooklyn, he was injured in many places, but fortunately none of them punctured an organ. He also has a few broken bones, but he'll be fine with plenty of rest." Mr. Dickenson smiled.

He was beyond happy. He had been worried when he and Ryu had been asked to watch a bleeding Ozuma while Tyson and the rest ran towards a giant explosion in the entrance of the dojo. His old heart broke when he saw his good friend Ryu cry as he saw his oldest grandson close to death. To add to his horror and pain, Kai walked in a few moments later. He was beaten, bruised and bleeding. The stoic boy passed out from blood loss a few moments later. And just when he thought his old heart couldn't hurt anymore, they brought an unconscious and bleeding Brooklyn.

Fortunately, thanks to the doctor, they were all going to be okay. They were all out of harm's way. However, deep down he knew that this was just the beginning.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters, but I do own the plot

A/N: I apologize for taking long to update, I've been very busy. I would also like to thank Desires of Autumn Leaves for letting me know that the chapter uploaded strangely. Thank you for letting me know! I hadn't noticed it came out like that :D

Hilary tried to pretend she didn't feel Tala's eyes on her as she sat beside Brooklyn, who was still unconscious. Tala's blue eyes watched her intently and she uncomfortably shifted from where she was sitting. Why was he staring at her? She slowly turned to meet his gaze, hoping that he would turn away, but he seemed completely unfazed. He appeared to be studying her intently, for what, she didn't know.

"Hilary, are you alright?" Tyson asked softly. Hilary ripped her gaze from the red head and looked into the Dragoon wielders eyes. He was sitting beside Hiro, who seemed to be regaining some color to his face.

"I'm fine, Ty. Why do you ask?" Hilary answered softly.

"No reason" Tyson watched her intently. She had hardly left Brooklyn's side since the accident two days ago, and when she did leave, she usually took no longer than ten minutes. It was obvious that she was worried about him and Kai.

Tyson was not blind, he could see the growing relationship between her and Brooklyn. She was falling for him, but at the same time, Tyson had noticed the hurt in her face when she saw Kai. She wasn't completely over him, that much was clear. Her feelings for the blunette were strong, and it was obvious that she was heartbroken and hurt by the former captain's sudden departure.

Despite being hurt by Kai, she kept glancing in his direction to make sure he was alright. Had Brooklyn not been injured as well, Tyson knew that she would have remained glued by Kai's side. So the question was, which one did she love? And did he reciprocate?

It was clear that Brooklyn loved her more than a friend. He always searched for her when she was away, and his mood visibly brightened when she came into the room. He always went out of his way to make sure she was alright, and he always tried his best to make her happy. Just a few days ago, he had been injured and bleeding, yet he didn't pass out from exhaustion until he felt that she was safe. He was completely devoted to her, even if it broke his heart to hear her crying for Kai.

Speaking of Kai, Tyson didn't know what to make of him. He ignored her existence most of the time, and he was cold to her. He never comforted her when she was down, and he left without so much as a goodbye. Nevertheless, he always protected her from harm and made sure that she was safe. The day that he arrived, Kai's eyes never left Hilary's figure, he watched her until she disappeared from view. Kai was worried about her, that much was clear. His worry for her was most likely the reason he had returned from Russia.

If Tyson didn't know any better he would say that Kai loved her, so then why was he with Valentina? Unless…Tyson's eyes widened in realization. Kai didn't understand his own feelings, and he was just using Valentina to get Hilary out of his head. The idiot!

Tyson turned to Hilary, who was playing with her hair, an act she did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. Why was she uncomfortable? There was nobody in the room, Mariam had just left to take a shower, so that left him and…Tala. His eyes scanned the room until his eyes focused on Tala, who was staring at her intently. The red head had a devious smirk planted in his face, but why? The answer instantly clicked, Tala knew already! He will most likely assist Kai in winning her heart. Tyson smirked, not on his watch. In Tyson's eyes, nobody was more deserving than Brooklyn. Kai had his chance and he blew it, now it was Brooklyn's turn.

As if sensing his thoughts, Tala met his stare and smirked confidently. Tyson returned the gesture, may the best man win!

"Tyson, are you okay?" Hilary asked worriedly. The blunette had a goofy smirk in his face, and that was usually not a good thing.

"I'm fine Hilary, and you will be too. I'll make sure of it," Tyson answered. Hilary looked at him in confusion, but before she could ask, Tala abruptly stood.

"Tyson, there's something I need to discuss with you...alone," Tala stated calmly. Hilary looked between the two and stood up ready to leave, but Tala held out his hand. "That won't be necessary, Tyson, come. Don't worry it won't take long." Tyson looked at the red head suspiciously and stood. What was Tala up to?

"Yeah sure," Tyson nodded. He unconsciously turned to Hiro, but Hilary reassured him.

"Don't worry Ty, I'll watch over them." Hilary smiled at him in reassurance. Tyson nodded and followed Tala outside.

When they were gone Hilary sighed. None of them had woken up yet and she was starting to get worried.

A groan turned her attention to Kai. She instantly stood and walked to his side. His eyes twitched and her heart fluttered when twin crimson orbs looked into her eyes. Kai's eyes were hooded and he blinked a few times until he regained focus.

"Kai?" she called timidly. His eyes sought hers and she smiled. He was awake!

"Hilary," he rasped out and she suddenly recalled how thirsty she had been when she had woken up.

"I'm here Kai," she said as she poured him a glass of water. She sat next to him and blushed when she noticed that he was watching her intently. "I brought you some water." She whispered timidly.

Kai made to sit up, but winced in pain. Hilary knew that he wasn't supposed to be sitting up so soon, but she also knew that he was a stubborn guy who wouldn't listen to her. Instead of telling him to lie down, she helped him sit up. She brought the drink to his lips, and surprisingly, he didn't argue. He drank slowly and pulled away when he was satisfied.

"Would you like something to eat?" Hilary asked softly. His piercing eyes looked into hers and she looked away at the intensity.

"No"

An uncomfortable silence descended upon them. What could she say to him? This was the guy she had been in love with, and he was also the guy that had left her without so much as a goodbye. One part of her was overjoyed that he was looking at her, but the other part felt dejected. The only reason he came back from Russia was for Tyson, not her. Besides, how could she forget that he had a girlfriend? A beautiful girlfriend named Valentina.

"I'm sure the others will be glad to see that you're awake. I'll go get them," she went to stand but Kai caught her wrist. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat at his action and she turned to look at him. His eyes bore into hers and she wondered if he was going to say anything. "Do you need anything?" Her voice came out surprisingly steady.

"You have a bitbeast," he stated. Hilary tried not to show disappointment in her face. Of course he was interested in that. He didn't really care about her. She still remembered the way he ignored her calls, and didn't even bother to answer her messages. He was the only one in the team that didn't even bother to call to wish her a happy birthday, and that really hurt her. She couldn't just forget about his neglect and indifference.

"Yes"

"It's a fox, isn't it?"

"Yes"

He felt her moving, and that's when he noticed he still held her wrist. He released her and she instantly pulled her wrist to her chest, almost as if she had been burned by his touch.

"I'll get out of your hair now," Hilary stood and turned to walk away, but Kai would have none of that. He didn't understand why her distant attitude bothered him so much, but it did. He missed the old Hilary. The one that would have been chatting away over the most ridiculous and meaningless things.

"Who taught you how to beyblade?" Kai asked hoping to start a conversation with her. He inwardly sighed, it was the first time he tried to talk to someone, and it was obvious. He couldn't come up with a better conversation starter other than beyblading. It may not have been a good start, but at least it was a start. Besides, he was genuinely curious since she had perfect control of her beyblade, and her form was flawless. He assumed that Tyson had taught her.

"Tyson, Daichi and Brooklyn taught me, but it was mostly Brooklyn. Tyson and Daichi didn't have the patience to deal with my pathetic launching attempts, but Brooklyn did. He has been so patient and kind with me," Hilary smiled in remembrance.

Brooklyn was the only one that never snapped at her. He always kept his composure and gave her encouraging smiles. One time he admitted to her that he hadn't really practiced beyblading before either. Beyblading just came natural to him, so they were both doing training exercises together. It was a new experience to both of them, and that made Hilary feel even better. Well, partially better since Brooklyn quickly got the hang of it and she didn't. He wasn't a natural blader for nothing.

Kai clenched his fists, he wished he had been the one to teach her. He hadn't missed her smile when she remembered her time with Brooklyn. He wished he could be the one to put that smile in her face. Well maybe he still could. He was back now, and he would try to spend more time with her.

Kai noticed that she wasn't looking at him and he followed her line of sight. His hands instantly formed a fist when he saw her looking at Brooklyn, who was unconscious a few feet away from him. She smiled affectionately and he mentally growled. He hadn't forgotten that the obnoxious red head had kissed her.

"Hilary," said women tore her gaze from Brooklyn and turned to him. And when she did, his heart skipped a beat. Her chocolate hair twirled around her gracefully as she turned to face him. Her majestic ruby eyes focused on him and he briefly wondered when Hilary had become so beautiful.

"Yes?" Her soft voice was exactly the same as the one that haunted his dreams every night. What did that woman do to him?

"I-"

"Kai, you're awake." Kai turned to glare at the intruder, who happened to be the bane of his existence, Tyson. "How are you feeling?"

"Hn"

"In that case," Tyson's eyes narrowed as he quickly approached his former captain. "What were you thinking!? Did you really think that you could take on that many bladers by yourself!? You should know that these guys are dangerous. Never mind me, they almost killed Hilary! You could have gotten yourself and Brooklyn killed!"

At the sound of his current enemy's name, Kai looked up and hatefully glared at Tyson. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hilary stepped in to stop Tyson's rant.

"Tyson, he barely woke up, I'm sure that the last think he needs right now is to get scolded by you." She calmly placed her hand on his shoulder and Tyson let out an exasperated sigh and nodded.

"I suppose you're right. By the way, you have several missed calls," Tyson said as he threw a white cellphone to Kai. Kai effortlessly caught it but he made no attempt to look at the missed calls. Hilary's heart clenched as she realized who had called him. She smiled sadly and turned to check on Brooklyn.

"We uncovered the identity of Black Dranzer's host," Tala commented as he sat on the chair that was next to Kai's. Kai remained silent and Tala took that as his cue to continue. "His name is Andrei Petrov; his parents abandoned him and literally dumped him at the abbey at the age of 5. Boris automatically took him in and made him into a powerful blader."

"Then Black Dranzer found him and possessed him," Kai said and Tala nodded.

"Ozuma and his team were on their way to warn us about the disturbance with the bit beasts, but they were attacked. According to Mariam, they started to feel uneasy about a year ago. That's when Black Dranzer must have possessed our friend Andrei."

"But why are they attacking now? If Andrei was possessed a year ago, then why didn't they attack sooner?" Tyson asked.

"Because they weren't strong enough," Hilary answered. The three men turned to look at her as if suddenly remembering that she was there. "At a tournament, Brooklyn looked uncomfortable, and I think it's because they were there. They were probably assessing Tyson and Brooklyn to see if they were a threat. They must have been, so that explains why they are attacking now. They were waiting to grow stronger. Then again, maybe they were trying to control Zeus and Brooklyn to gain another ally."

"I think you're on to something," Tyson said.

"Yeah, they certainly do have the numbers. Kenny has checked the archives and there were 205 kids from the abbey. However, when they attacked the city there were easily more than that. They must have been controlling more people."

"There are so many of them. I wonder if we'll be able to beat them," Tyson stated a bit put out.

A knock on the door interrupted their pessimistic thoughts. Before anyone could move, the door flew open and Oliver, from the Majestics, ran into the room. The others walked in a more sophisticated manner.

"Tyson, it's good to see you!"

"Oi Kai, I heard you got your ass beat. Serves you right you arrogant bastard," Johnny snickered when he saw the injured blunette. Kai ignored him; the annoying red head was not worth his time.

"Hello there, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Enrique, what's your name sweetheart?" Enrique flirted with a startled Hilary. Kai glared while Tyson groaned. Just great! The Majestics were back.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters but I do own the plot.

A/N: Hope you like this chapter :)

Hilary smiled politely when Enrique grabbed hold of her hands and shamelessly flirted with her. She had never met someone as bold as him, so she didn't really know how to react to him. She vaguely heard the rest of the Majestics introducing themselves so she took the opportunity to pull away from the flirtatious blonde.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Hilary."

"Hilary, that's a lovely name, though I must admit that I'm not surprised. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Enrique said as he stared into the brunette's enchanting ruby eyes.

"Stop flirting!" Tyson growled. Enrique tore his attention from the beauty in front of him and turned to see a fuming Tyson. He would have commented about Tyson's behavior when he suddenly felt a cold chill travel throughout his body. If looks could kill, Enrique would be 6 feet under with the glare that Kai threw in his direction.

"Tyson, we came as soon as we heard about the attacks and we also came here to inform you about some disturbing news we found," Robert went straight to the point.

"I knew this wasn't just a social visit," Tyson smiled sadly. "So what is it?"  
"Boris Balcov is dead. He was burned alive," Robert bluntly stated. Hilary gasped and covered her mouth. Tyson and Tala's eyes widened in surprise and even Kai seemed a bit shocked.

"Are you serious? I would have thought that this whole thing was his doing," Tyson shook his head in disbelief. Sure he knew that Boris was a terrible man, but he didn't really expect him to die such a gruesome death. Did Black Dranzer kill him? Tyson wouldn't put murder past that evil bitbeast.

"I'm afraid so, Tyson. His sudden death piqued my interest, so I did some research. I discovered that he had searched for Black Dranzer in hopes of using it against the Bladebreakers. The bitbeast was found and tampered with."

"What do you mean with tampered with?" Hilary asked feeling a bit disturbed. Whatever experiments occurred led to an unleashed dark bitbeast. Robert shrugged.

"Whatever he did to that bitbeast remains a mystery since all records were burned. Witnesses were killed, so we have no idea what he did to it."

"Well the only thing we know is that Black Dranzer \ possessed one of the kids from the abbey and now he's on a rampage. He's killing and hurting innocent people," Tyson growled as he turned to look at his unconscious brother. "He's even managed to recruit hundreds of followers."

"Yeah, and from what we've seen, they don't play fair. They easily outnumber us and go directly for the kill. I hate to say this, but I don't think we stand a chance," Tala sighed.

"This sounds serious," Oliver commented as he turned to the rest of his teammates. "We're in."

"What?" Tyson asked dumbly. He couldn't believe that they would just agree to help them like that. "But it's dangerous! I can't guarantee your safety."

"We can take care of ourselves. Besides we could use some entertainment," Johnny waved away Tyson's warning.

"But-"

"Besides, we can't just leave Hilary all alone and defenseless," Enrique said as he winked at Hilary.

"She's not alone!" Tyson sighed angrily. Honestly, he always became agitated with that shameless flirt. Enrique would have a field day when he heard that there were more beautiful women staying at the dojo.

Hilary felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation. Tyson didn't correct Enrique when he called her defenseless.

"Oi Tyson, I'm hungry," Johnny complained.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Tyson asked irritably.

"Go fetch us some food," Johnny replied. "We are your special guests after all. Honestly, I can't believe his lack of courtesy."

"Why you little-"

"I believe we can find our own way to the kitchen. We did drop by unexpectedly," Robert said as he ushered Johnny out the door. Oliver quickly followed, they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and they were starving.

Suddenly remembering his manners, Tyson sighed in defeat.

"Wait, I'll go see what I can make," Tyson turned to look at Hilary meaningfully and she nodded. She would take care of Hiro while he left. Tala smirked deviously as he followed Tyson.

"Hey, I'll help you my friend. It won't be easy to cook for dozens of guests," Tala offered. To everyone it seemed like an honest offer of help, but Tyson knew better since the red head turned to Hilary next. "Can you take care of Kai while I'm gone?"

"Tala you don't have to. I can take care of it myself, I'll just ask one of the girls for help," Tyson politely rejected the help. No way would he leave Hilary alone with the cold blunette. Yes, Ozuma, Brooklyn and Hiro were also there but they were all unconscious.

"One of the girls?" Enrique asked with a huge grin. Tyson diverted his attention to Enrique and glared. "You stay away from them you sicko." Enrique took off and Tyson followed him. Taking that as his opportunity to leave, Tala turned to Hilary and winked.

Hilary inaudibly sighed when she realized that she was "alone" with Kai. Just great! Kai noticed the brunette's discomfort and frowned. She had never been uncomfortable in his presence before and he didn't like it.

Just as he was about to talk to her his phone vibrated. Since the whole room was deathly quiet, Hilary heard it. Kai glanced at his cell phone and noticed that Valentina was calling him. He debated on whether to answer or not, but he decided to accept the call. He didn't want her to continue calling him until he answered.

Hilary smiled sadly when she saw Kai answering the phone. It didn't take a genius to figure out who called him, especially when she could make out the voice of a woman on the other end.

A soft groan drew Hilary's attention to Brooklyn. A genuine smile replaced her sad smile when she noticed that Brooklyn was waking up. Hilary stood and went to get water. By the time she came back, she noticed that his eyes were twitching. He slowly opened his enchanting blue eyes and he blinked a few times before they focused on her.

Hilary's heart melted when he smiled at her and whispered her name. He struggled to sit up, and she helped him. She drew the water to his lips and he smiled gratefully. He held the hand that was holding the glass of water and weakly drank. When he was satisfied, he drew back, but he never released her hand.

"How are you feeling?" Hilary asked softly.

"A bit dizzy," he answered honestly. He didn't tell her that his injuries throbbed because he didn't want to worry her. He winced when he shifted and hoped she didn't notice. Fortunately, she didn't.

"Are you hungry?" Brooklyn shook his head. He felt like he was about to throw up so food was the last thing on his mind. "Do you want to rest?"

"I just woke up, I don't need more rest. Tell me, how long have I been out?"

"Two days," Hilary answered and Brooklyn sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized. Hilary looked at him in confusion. "For worrying you," he continued as he frowned. Hilary merely smiled as she intertwined their fingers. Her smile widened when his expression softened. "So how are you feeling?"

"You're the one that got injured," Hilary smiled warmly. She liked that he cared about her. No matter what, he always worried about her and it made her feel loved.

"Yes, but you are the one that used a lot of energy on summoning your bitbeast." Brooklyn reminded her calmly.

"You're not surprised?" Hilary asked when he seemed at ease with the fact that she had a bitbeast. Everyone had been shocked, but he appeared to have already expected it.

"No, I had felt the beginning of an untapped power when we trained. It was just a matter of time before it showed up. It seemed like a very powerful bitbeast."

"His name is Shiro and he's an eight tailed fox." Hilary smiled in excitement when she noticed the proud look on Brooklyn's face.

"I'm proud of you." Hilary blushed when he looked into her eyes.

"It was all due to your patient training, thank you," Hilary, mindful of his injuries, embraced him. He returned the embrace and smiled.

Suddenly, Brooklyn felt like he was being watched and he turned to the source. He smirked when he noticed that Kai was angrily glaring at him. He had been so engrossed by the lovely brunette that he had not noticed that he was in the room. Hilary pulled away but frowned when she noticed that Brooklyn's attention was drawn to something. She followed his line of sight and nearly gasped when she saw Kai. She had honestly forgotten that he was in the room!

Kai was fuming as he watched the interaction between Hilary and Brooklyn. She looked so carefree around the psychotic red head and it bothered him. While he had to listen to the annoying woman rant, Hilary was happily chatting with Brooklyn. With Brooklyn!

The tension in the room was hard to miss. Hilary uncomfortably shifted when she noticed the dark looks that both males gave each other. She wanted to say something but she didn't know what. It was obvious why both males hated each other's guts. Brooklyn knew that Kai broke her heart, and Kai was probably still upset about the events that took place at the BEGA tournament.

"I see you didn't die," Kai commented dryly and Hilary gasped at his venomous tone.

"Kai!"

"You're still here? Shame, I thought you had gone back to Russia and done what you do best, abandon your teammates," Brooklyn retorted angrily.

"I bet you would have liked that." Hilary turned to Kai in surprise. He was usually so calm and collected but this time he easily lost his cool. 'What is with him?' Hilary asked herself in shock.

"I would have liked many things, like for you to disappear, you arrogant bastard." Hilary now turned to Brooklyn in shock. The red head was never this vicious and the amount of anger he had surprised her. Kai opened his mouth to retort but stopped when he heard the door opening.

"They're awake!" Ian exclaimed as he ran inside with the rest of the bladers. Hilary had to stop herself from sighing in relief. She never thought that they would be able to get into a physical fight since they were both injured. However, she worried about what they would do once they were both fully recovered.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the character but I do own the plot.

A/N: Here is another chapter, hope you all like it :D

Brooklyn smiled as Mystel eagerly told him about his time in China with the White Tigers. They hadn't been friends when they were in BEGA, but it seemed that the blonde genuinely cared about him. Mystel came all the way from China just to make sure that he was unharmed and that warmed Brooklyn's heart. He never imagined that Mystel would come visit him, and it was equally as surprising that Ming Ming also showed up.

Speaking of Ming Ming, Brooklyn didn't miss the glare that she threw in Hilary's direction, while she was eagerly talking to Max and Ray.

Brooklyn was glad that she was safe, but he was also a bit upset that they hadn't managed to spend a lot of time together. Ever since he woke up two days ago, Mystel and Ming Ming were always by his side, so he didn't have much of a chance to speak with her. He appreciated the company, but he honestly wanted to spend some time with Hilary too. He was allowed to get up yesterday, and he appreciated the fresh air.

"Right, Brooklyn?" Mystel asked with a smirk. The red head blinked and absentmindedly nodded as he was pulled out of his thoughts. "Did you even know what I just said?"

"I'm sorry, I've been very distracted lately," Brooklyn shook his head and smiled at his former teammate.

"I noticed, what's got you so distracted?" Brooklyn didn't reply and stared at the beautiful brunette that he loved. Mystel followed his line of sight and sighed. Well that explained the glares his friend was receiving from a certain cold-hearted blunette. Mystel turned to look at the Russian blader and found his eyes on the same brunette that Brooklyn was staring at.

"Ming Mi-" Mystel stopped when he noticed that the young pop star was no longer with them. He searched for her and found her stalking towards Hilary. 'Oh no'

Hilary giggled as Max reminded her about a prank that they had played on Tyson a few years ago. Max wholeheartedly laughed and Hilary smiled softly. She had missed having these conversations with him. Even though, she skyped with him at least twice a week, it just wasn't the same as talking to him in person.

Ray softly laughed and Hilary smiled at him too. She had missed him as well. Unlike with Max, Hilary couldn't Skype with Ray because of the lack of technology in his village. Instead, they sent letters to each other frequently. The only time she had heard his voice was when called her on her birthday. She was touched that he had traveled to the next village in order to access a phone to congratulate her.

"Don't call me monkey boy!" Daichi screamed in frustration and they turned to the beybattle that was taking place between Tyson and Daichi. They were training in order to defeat Black Dranzer and his minions. At first, Tyson refused to leave Hiro's side, but he was literally kicked out by grandpa. He promised to take care of Hiro, and he ordered Tyson to start his training.

"I'm surprised you haven't intervened," Ray commented.

"Unfortunately, I have become used to their fights. Sometimes their loudness is welcoming, it's better than the silence," Hilary replied truthfully.

"Hilary," Max started nervously. "I have noticed that you and Brook-" Max was interrupted when a voice suddenly cut in to their conversation.

"Hello there, Hilary," Ming Ming smirked.

Hilary narrowed her eyes in annoyance. It was common knowledge that they didn't like each other, so what did she want?

"I was wondering if you would like to beybattle against me," Ming Ming gave her a fake smile and turned to Tyson and Daichi who had stopped their beybattle in order to see what was going on. Tyson mentally prepared himself to intervene, in case Hilary decided to attack Ming Ming.

"I don't see why not." Hilary agreed and by then everyone's attention was on them. Everyone was eager to watch the match, especially since they all had witnessed the appearance of Hilary's bitbeast. They had wondered, but nobody had brought up the subject about the bitbeast.

"Great, I can't wait to beat- I mean battle you."

Hilary's eyebrow began to twitch in irritation and her hands formed fists. Max and Ray watched the brunette nervously, they hoped she didn't beat the living daylights out of the arrogant blunette.

Both women walked towards the rink and pulled out their beyblades. They sized each other up and mentally prepared themselves for the beybattle. Mariah volunteered as the referee and Ray watched her with a small smile. Kenny and Emily pulled out their laptops and started to analyze the battle, they were equally as curious about Hilary's bitbeast.

"Are you girls ready?" Mariah asked eagerly. Both women nodded and Mariah started the count down.

"3"

"Hilary my love, I'm rooting for you!" Hilary sweat dropped at Enrique's passionate declaration. Kai and Brooklyn glared at the shameless blonde, while Robert shook his head in mortification. Honestly, did he have to scream it while he was next to him?

"2….1….Let it rip!"

Hilary and Ming Ming launched their beyblades in perfect sync while everyone watched in awe. Several of them had witnessed Hilary's first attempt at launching, so it was surprising that her form was flawless. Ming Ming instantly transformed into her mature form when she sensed that this was going to be a tough match.

Kenny blushed and tried not to go crazy over Ming Ming. His crush for the blunette hadn't completely faded. Emily noticed and shook her head in disappointment.

"Venus, let's show her who she's up against!" Hilary admired the white bitbeast as she came out of the beyblade. Ming Ming confidently ordered Venus to attack and she did. Shiro went on the defensive and Hilary noticed that she hadn't ordered him to do it.

She smiled as she remembered that her beyblade was no longer an empty shell. No, her beyblade had a bitbeast.

"Shiro come out!" Her bitbeast made an appearance and Hilary smiled as she took in his complete form.

Brooklyn smiled when he took in Shiro's full form. He hadn't been able to properly observe the bitbeast last time because he had been very injured, but now he did and he was impressed. As if feeling his eyes, Shiro made quick eye contact with him before turning to Venus.

"V Temptation," Ming Ming ordered as Venus brutally attacked Shiro.

"Shiro evade," Hilary ordered and Siro easily moved out of the way. Both beyblades collided and attacked each other again, while the bitbeasts attacked each other.

"Venus, have no mercy," Ming Ming growled as she began to feel out of breathe. Venus sensing her master's exhaustion attacked viciously and Hilary felt herself being pushed away by the sheer force of the attack.

Venus was easily overpowering her, but Hilary didn't yield.

"You got this Hilary!" Tyson cheered for her.

"Don't give up Hilary," Daichi joined in.

"Go Hilary!" Max also cheered for her. Ming Ming continued pushing with all her force as she heard Hilary's friends. She always hated this about the Bladebreakers. They were more than just a team; they were also friends, something that she wasn't able to find. Nobody ever cheered on her and she hated it.

"Ming Ming, you can do this," Ming Ming's eyes widened when she heard Mystel's voice. This was the first time someone that wasn't part of the audience cheered her on. Her determination steeled as she looked into Hilary's eyes, which were equally as determined.

"Venus, V Temptation" Ming Ming cried out.

"Shiro, Fire burst" Hilary countered.

A huge explosion sent both women flying as dust covered the rink. A soft clink sounded as a beyblade landed outside the rink, while a soft whirling sound could be heard.

Mariah stepped forward and smiled.

"And the winner of the match is…Hilary!" Hilary's eyes widened in surprise while Ming Ming smiled sadly. Everyone cheered for Hilary as she stood and brushed off the dust on her black shorts. Ming Ming slowly transformed again into her innocent form. Hilary made her way towards her and offered her hand.

Ming Ming stared at it, while everyone waited for her to do something. Finally, after a few silent seconds, Ming Ming took her hand.

"You were pretty good, I must say I was surprised," Ming Ming admitted. For some reason, her earlier contempt against the brunette disappeared only to be replaced by respect.

"So was I, you almost had me there," Hilary replied honestly. Her dislike of her had also evaporated.

"Next time I will definitely defeat you," Ming Ming said with a genuine smile and she walked towards Mystel.

Kai watched the whole battle in awe. Hilary was a lot better than he had thought and her bitbeast was impressive. She was definitely formidable and she would be a valuable asset when battling Black Dranzer and his minions.

"She is a lot stronger than she looks," Tala commented and Kai silently agreed. He then noticed that Enrique was approaching her with a flirtatious smile. "She also seems to have a very devoted admirer."

Kai stiffened at the comment. It was clear that Tala wasn't talking about Enrique.

"And she makes no move to stop him," Tala added. Kai's jaw clenched and he walked away. Tala shook his head, when was Kai going to wake up and put the moves on her?

Hilary sat in a room with the rest of the female bladers with a nervous smile. This was her first day sleeping with them since she had spent most of the nights asleep in a chair beside Brooklyn. Mariam seemed to have felt the same thing since she refused to meet any of their eyes.

"Hilary, I'm impressed, you were amazing today," Mariah broke the silence. "And so were you Ming Ming," Mariah added.

"Are we going to exchange pleasantries or are we going to gossip? Why don't you start, Mariah?" Ming Ming asked snottily. Mariah stiffened and laughed nervously.

"G- gossip? What is there to talk about? My life is very boring," Mariah said. Hilary raised an eyebrow in her direction. Hadn't Ray put the moves on her yet?

"Come on, we can all see that you and Ray have something going on," Emily commented cheekily. Mariah flushed and covered her face shyly.

"Ray and I are just friends." Hilary mentally sighed. What was Ray doing all this time? It was obvious that Mariah liked him and he liked her too. Mariah recovered her color and turned to Emily. "What about you and Max?" Mariam stiffened.

"I don't like Max that way," Emily replied and Mariam visible sighed. "I like someone else, but he doesn't like me back." Emily discretely glanced at Ming Ming with a sad smile.

"I see, you like Kenny, don't you?" Mariam asked eagerly. Emily's blush was answer enough.

"What makes you think he doesn't like you?" Ming Ming asked curiously. Emily shook her head sadly.

"What about you Ming?" Mariah asked curiously. Ming Ming giggled and sighed in admiration.

"Would you believe me if I said Tyson?" Hilary's eyes widened and turned to her in surprise. She had never given any indication that she had feelings for the Dragoon wielder.

"No way," Mariah gasped in shock.

"I always liked his air of confidence, but I know he doesn't see me that way. What about you, Mariam?" Ming Ming quickly changed the subject.

"Max," Mariam practically whispered.

"I thought you liked Ozuma," Mariah gasped. Everyone thought the same thing, especially since she refused to leave his side.

"Well, I don't. It's always been Max, I was actually jealous of you Emily," Mariam admitted.

"Why?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Because you got to spend time with him, while I couldn't," Mariam answered truthfully. Hilary heard them talking amongst themselves and began to sweat nervously when they turned their attention on her.

"It's Kai, isn't it?" Mariah asked sadly. She had seen the news about Kai's girlfriend and her heart had gone out for the brunette.

"No way, I thought it was Brooklyn," Ming Ming commented with surprise. At that, Hilary turned to Ming Ming in shock.

"What?"

"No need to deny it Hilary, I promise I won't use this knowledge against you," Ming Ming vowed. "If it makes you feel any better, Brooklyn feels the same way."

"Brooklyn likes me?" Hilary asked softly. She didn't think he liked her romantically. He always worried about her, but she always thought it was because she was his first female friend. She knew that there was some mutual attraction between them, but she didn't know if he really liked her.

"Yeah, you should have seen the way he looks at you." Hilary remained silent as she contemplated this new piece of information.

"Kai does too," Mariah said. At that, Hilary looked at her in surprise. "He has been looking at you for a while now. I noticed that his eyes follow you all the time."

"Ooh so they both like you," Mariam said eagerly.

Hilary's heart began to accelerate, was that true? Did Brooklyn and Kai really like her? A part of her knew that it was true, but another part was skeptical. Even if they did like her, what was she going to do?

A loud knock startled the women and they all immediately pulled out their beyblades. The door slowly opened and they were all annoyed when they realized it was just Enrique. Enrique was dressed in his pajamas and he held a blanket and pillow.

"Worry not my poor defenseless beauties, I will gladly keep you all company for the night." Mariah's eyes narrowed as she slammed the door on his face.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters, but I do own the plot.

A/N: Here is the next chapter, hope you like it :)

The cool night air brushed against Kai's pale skin as he absentmindedly stared at the night sky. The pale moonlight illuminated his figure giving him an unearthly glow. His face was devoid of any emotions making it difficult for anyone to know what he was feeling. To anyone, it would seem as if he was calm and collected. However, he was far from calm. His thoughts kept bringing him back to the ruby eyed brunette that he had left behind over a year ago.

Her gorgeous ruby eyes had always haunted him and he now felt a strong urge to stare into them forever. Despite the bruises that still marred her flesh, he was enticed by her gorgeous skin. Her spitfire personality had never bothered him; in fact, he found that he liked it. He would never admit this aloud to anyone, but he secretly loved it when she searched for him. It made him feel like he was important to her. He had always known about her feelings for him, but he had honestly never considered the possibility of her falling for somebody else.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to see her with Brooklyn of all people. He hadn't really forgotten about the way that Brooklyn beat him half to death. Brooklyn's evil laughter echoed in his head and he clenched his fists in anger. He would have thought that Hilary would have stayed away from him. But no, the person he least expected was getting a bit too familiar with _his_ Hilary and he hated it.

Then again, Hilary always cares and worries about others. The opportunistic red head was most likely taking advantage of her caring nature. He wouldn't put it past that manipulative man to take advantage of a sweet and innocent woman. Unfortunately, for him though, Kai did not intend to let him take Hilary. Hilary was his.

His own possessiveness for Hilary alarmed him since he had never felt this way before. He couldn't get her out of his head, and the mere thought of her with someone else irked him. He didn't want to share her attention with anyone else. But why? Why did she consume his thoughts?

Kai's eyes widened as realization came to him; he loved her. She had ensnared him without even realizing it. He should have figured it out sooner. It should have been obvious to him from the start. He would have willingly sacrificed himself for her safety without any care for his own safety. Now that he realized his feelings, he had to tell her.

However, there was a big obstacle standing between them, Brooklyn. The red head was constantly hanging by her side and watching her from a distance. He took the liberty to kiss his Hilary, and Kai knew that he had deep feelings for her. Tala was right; Brooklyn appeared to be a very devoted admirer.

Kai smirked; Brooklyn would be very disappointed because Kai had no intentions of letting Hilary slip away from him. He would not lose her, not to Brooklyn nor to anyone else.

"Kai?"

Tyson's voice pulled him away from his thoughts. He turned to look at the Dragoon wielder. He didn't respond, and Tyson took the liberty to sit next to him.

"It's my shift to watch," Tyson started, but Kai didn't move. "You can go to sleep, you know." They had been doing this for the past few nights. They would take shifts sleeping because they didn't want to be caught off guard by the bladers.

"Hn"

"Suit yourself," Tyson shrugged. Kai watched the blunette out of the corner of his eye and mentally scowled. Not only was Brooklyn close to Hilary, he also appeared to be close to Tyson. Kai wouldn't admit this out loud to anyone, but he considered Tyson to be one of his best friends. Despite his constant leaving, Tyson always welcomed him back to the team with open arms. He never gave up on him, and he was always willing to listen. He cared about Tyson almost as much as he cared about Hilary.

"How is Hiro?" Kai asked a bit awkwardly. Truthfully, he didn't care much for the older blader, but he knew that he was very important to Tyson. He had heard Tyson's painful cries for his brother, and he hated it. He mentally swore vengeance against the dark bitbeast.

"He's healing nicely, but I'm worried. He lost too much blood, and I'm scared that he'll stay in a coma," Tyson admitted sadly. "I've been waiting for him to come back for so long, and when he did, he came back bleeding to death. Call me ungrateful, but I really wished our reunion would have been a lot better than that."

"Hiro will be fine, he's too stubborn to die. He is related to you," Kai said and Tyson smiled gratefully. From Kai, those words meant a lot.

"Thanks Kai"

"Hn"

"By the way, how did you know that the guy was Black Dranzer?" Tyson asked curiously. "He could have been anyone, yet you knew."

"I had a feeling," Kai answered vaguely. Truthfully, he had felt the bitbeast's familiar dark aura. He had nearly been consumed by it before and he was not proud of it. He would never forget its malevolent aura. Besides, Dranzer's reaction was a huge indicator about the blader's identity.

"I see, well I think that-" Tyson and Kai froze. They both felt their beyblades pulsing in their pockets urgently. "They're here," Tyson whispered and Kai nodded.  
Tyson abruptly stood while Kai rose slowly. He was still injured from the attack that had occurred five days ago and his injuries were still healing.

"Let's wake the others," Tyson whispered. Kai wordlessly agreed and followed the blunette slowly. They didn't want to let the bladers know that they were aware of their presence.

However, a beyblade was suddenly launched against them. Tyson jumped away and turned in the direction that the beyblade came from. He tried not to show his panic when he saw dozens of bladers watching them intently. They all wore their cloaks, and Tyson wondered if any of them were Black Dranzer.

"Dranzer," Kai cried out as he launched his beyblade to intercept another beyblade. Tyson pulled out his beyblade and sighed. They had no choice but to fight, he just hoped that the rest oaf the bladers weren't deep sleepers like Daichi.

"Get them Dragoon!" Tyson cried out as he launched. He gasped loudly when twenty beyblades were launched against Dragoon, while the rest were launched against Dranzer.

Kai clenched his teeth, while he contained himself from wincing in pain. A beybattle was the last thing he needed.

"Zeus!" Tyson and Kai turned to find Brooklyn launching his beyblade into the mix. Tyson smiled when he saw the White Tigers, PPB All Starz, the Majestics and the Blitzkrieg Boys running towards them. Tyson smirked confidently, that's right, this time they had more help.

The bladers seemed shocked when they saw the Majestics; they had not been informed that they were there too. Everyone launched their beyblades and took on one of the rivaling dark bladers.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Daichi cried out as he ran with the girls. Hilary looked around and noticed that a blader was sneakily watching from a distance. She turned back to the cramped space that everyone battled in and noticed that they didn't need her help. She decided to sneak on him and knock him out.

She ran towards the entrance of the dojo, but gasped when she saw two more bladers waiting outside.

The bladers smirked and prepared to launch but stopped when they felt a huge pressure at the back of their heads. Both of them fell down unconscious with a loud thump. Hilary turned to see the culprits and smiled when she saw Grandpa Granger and Kenny. They were both holding wooden swords and they smiled at each other victoriously.

"That's what you get for underestimating us, homies," Grandpa Granger laughed. "You go on ahead home girl, we'll take care of them." He held the wooden sword defensively, in case they woke up again.

"Thank you grandpa and Kenny," Hilary smiled and took off again. She stopped when she could see the opportunist and prepared her beyblade. The blader lifted up his launcher and pointed at Tyson.

"Not on my watch," Hilary said as she launched the beyblade on his hand. He didn't make a sound despite the deep cut that she left on his hand. He turned to her and smirked. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could assume he was watching her intently.

"Soon, you will all die," he threatened ominously and fled. As if his retreat triggered something, the bladers retrieved their beyblades and fled.

"Come back here! You cowards!" Daichi growled. Hilary sighed in relief, they were gone. She instantly turned towards her friend and smiled. None of them were injured. She silently approached them and listened to Tyson as he began to speak.

"We caught them off guard. That's why they left," he said seriously.  
"What do you mean? They knew we were here," Tala said, and it was true. They had all been there when Black Dranzer revealed its identify.

"Not all of us, the Majestics must have caught them off guard," Tyson replied. "We easily won because they underestimated our numbers."

"Just four people, Tyson," Daichi argued. "We could easily beat them, even without their help."  
"That's not true and you know it. Even if they are just four, the Majestics are some of the best bladers in the world."

"Aww, you're making me blush, Tyson," Enrique joked, while Hilary silently agreed with Tyson. Even if they were sometimes difficult to deal with, the Majestics were very helpful.

"And we didn't even get to interrogate them," Tala sighed in disappointment. They were hoping to get some of their questions answered, but the bladers had managed to escape.

"There's always next time," Max said happily, but deep down he was disappointed.

"Darn it, we should have just knocked out one of them," Lee growled, while Hilary's eyes widened in remembrance. Two of them were knocked out cold by grandpa and Kenny, she just hoped that they didn't manage to escape.

"We have two of them," Hilary said and everyone turned to her in surprise. "Grandpa and Kenny knocked out two a little while ago."

"Grandpa and Kenny?" Tyson asked in disbelief.

"What's so difficult to believe about that T- dawg?" Grandpa suddenly asked. Tyson's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Where are they?" Brooklyn asked curiously. Grandpa eagerly led them towards the living room, where two unconscious cloaked figures were tied on a chair. Kenny held a wooden sword as he watched them like a hawk. Hilary would have giggled if not for the seriousness of the situation.

Kai was the first one to approach them and he brusquely yanked off their cloaks. Brooklyn went towards the other one and yanked off his cloak as well.

"Do any of you recognize them?" Tyson asked. Spencer nodded.

"Yes, I saw them at the abbey," he said. Hilary, not for the first time, wondered about the abbey. Everyone kept their mouths shut about it, and she felt it would be wrong to ask about it. She had no idea what it was, all she knew was that it was in Russia. However, she did notice that the Blitzkrieg boys went stiff whenever it was mentioned.

"I guess there's nothing we can do right now. We'll have to interrogate them in the morning," Ray commented.

"Good idea," Oliver yawned loudly.

"But who will watch them?" Max asked.

"I'll do it," Lee volunteered. "I can restrain them in case they wake up."

"I'll stay too," Rick said. "I honestly don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight. Besides, you might need the help," he addressed Lee. Lee merely nodded.

"I suppose since it is my shift, I'll watch over the dojo," Tyson said. With that, everyone retired for the night.

Hilary sighed and walked towards the garden. She couldn't sleep, not with everything that had just happened. Her eyes traveled towards the destruction that was caused by the multiple beybattles. The only reason they were fine was because the bladers had underestimated. Unfortunately, they wouldn't make that same mistake again.

She vaguely wondered if it was possible to end the battle with zero casualties. She found it highly unlikely, Black Dranzer seemed eager to destroy.

"Hilary, there you are," Brooklyn's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. She slowly turned to him and smiled. It had been days since they had been alone. He was usually with Mystel and Ming Ming, so she never found the opportunity to approach him.

"I was just looking at the damage," she answered his unspoken question. He nodded in understanding and looked towards the splinters of wood.

Hilary took the time to study his profile. His pale skin glowed in the night sky making him look surreal. His black shirt hugged his body, showing off his well-built figure. His arms were wrapped in bandages, yet that didn't deter his beauty. At that moment, she remembered Ming Min's words. Could Brooklyn possibly like her as more than a friend? Feeling her stare, Brooklyn shifted his attention to her. Hilary blushed prettily, realizing that she had been caught staring at him.

She turned away from him in embarrassment, but froze when she felt him take a hold of her chin. She shyly turned to look at him again.

"Hilary, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while," he started as he gently removed his hand from her chin. He grabbed her hands and took them into his. Hilary felt her heart hammering against her chest when she noticed the way he looked at her. He looked at her as if she was a goddess. The intensity of his stare made her legs feel like jelly. She tried not to stutter as she spoke.

"And what is that?" He didn't respond for a while, almost as if he was gathering his courage. She subconsciously stared at his lips and he did the same. His face slowly approached hers and she held her breath when he stopped a few centimeters from her lips. When she didn't pull away, he closed the distance between their lips.

The kiss wasn't passionate and fervent like the ones you read in the books. On the contrary, it was slow and inexperienced as both teens were getting accustomed to the foreign feeling. His lips molded against hers as he wrapped one of his hands around her waist. The other hand made itself to the back of her head as he softly pulled her against him. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the kiss eagerly.

After a while of memorizing the feel of their lips against each other, they pulled away to breathe. He pulled away, but not enough to let go of her, while she rested her head against his chest. She felt his pounding heart and almost sighed in relief when she realized that he was just as affected as she was.

"I love you," he said it with such love and devotion, that Hilary couldn't find it in her to doubt him. She stared at him in awe and he smiled nervously. "I realized that I am selfish and want more than just your friendship. You are my everything, and I don't want to share you with anyone. I want you to be mine and mine alone. I want you to be my Hilary."

"Brooklyn" she gasped at his passionate declaration. She didn't know what to say.

"You don't have to answer right away; I just wanted to let you know about my feelings." Brooklyn smiled and pulled away, leaving Hilary to miss his warmth. "I will patiently wait for your answer," and with those parting words, he left.

Hilary watched his retreating figure and placed both hands over her pounding heart. His feelings for her were clear enough, but what about hers? She couldn't deny the attraction that she felt for the red head, but was that love? She certainly cared about him, but she still felt something for Kai. Her feelings for the blunette hadn't magically disappeared.

"What do I do now?" She asked herself sadly. She couldn't deny that she wanted to give him a chance. However, at the same time she didn't want to because he deserved a lot more than just half of her heart. Then again, she didn't know if it would work out if she didn't give him a chance.

Hilary sighed, she didn't think she was getting any sleep that night.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Here is chapter 19, hope you like it! Chapter dedicated to Cutetyhil and Desires of Autumn Leaves :D

Morning came and fortunately, there were no more surprise attacks during the night. Everyone woke up feeling tired since they couldn't get much rest after the attack. They were all afraid that the bladers would return to save their kidnapped allies. Surprisingly, there hadn't been any signs of them or Black Dranzer.

The captives had long since woken up and they regarded everyone with cold unfeeling amber eyes. Hilary could feel their malicious aura and she shivered. Whoever they were, they were bad news.

"We'll start with a simple question, who are you?" Tala was the first one to speak as one of the bladers smirked.

"I thought you had figured this out by now," he answered serenely.

"You're a bitbeast," Tala stated more than asked. The blader made no indication to have heard as he eyed Tyson maliciously.

Tyson nearly flinched when his cold and calculating eyes focused on him. He was half-tempted to place the cloak back on his head to cover that evil stare. The blader noticed Tyson's discomfort and grinned. The second blader did the same.

"Poor pitiful and pathetic Tyson," the first one stated, he had long spiky blonde hair. Tyson growled angrily and was prepare to give him a verbal lashing, but stopped when he heard the second blader's voice.

"Don't worry you'll join your meddlesome brother in the after life," the second one, a brunette, threatened. Tyson froze, but not because of the threat. No, he was more interested in the fact that they believed Hiro to be dead. Tyson shared a glance with Kai and discretely nodded.

The bladers misinterpreted Tyson's reaction and believed that they had struck a nerve. They looked at each other and cackled.

"He was a giant thorn on our side, so we got rid of him. He just couldn't keep his nose out of our business. He really was a poor excuse of a-"

"Enough! Now tell us where Black Dranzer is," Kai growled, his patience had worn thin.

"He's waiting for all of you at his hideout," the blonde answered, to everyone's surprise. "He's prepared a welcoming surprise for all of you."

His evil grin sent a chill through Hilary's body. As if just now noticing her, the blader turned to look at her. She flinched when his piercing crimson eyes glowed ominously.

"Hilary," his voice came out sounding completely inhuman, reminding her that she wasn't talking to a human. "Sweet, charming and beautiful Hilary, how could I forget you?"

"Don't talk to her," Kai growled as he and Brooklyn stood in front of her to block her from his view. "Where is Black Dranzer hiding?"

"I wonder…does the death of a pathetic old man mean anything to you?" the brunette asked with a wicked grin.

Everyone froze at his words. Brooklyn immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed Mr. Dickenson's number. His heart clenched when the answer machine's voice greeted him. He tried again but to no avail. His hand trembled as he re-dialed yet again. When the machine greeted him for the nth time, he threw his phone to the floor and punched the brunette.

"Brooklyn," Hilary whispered in shock. She had never seen him act so violent. The red head ignored her as he smashed the blonde's face to the floor. The chair easily broke from the impact, yet Brooklyn didn't seem to care. Mystel and Ray held him back when he launched himself to attack them once again.

"Let go," Brooklyn growled angrily.

"We still need to know where Black Dranzer is hiding. We won't be able to get any information if you knock them out," Tala reasoned, though it was obvious he was also upset. Tyson visibly shook in fear and anger. Mr. Dickenson was a kind man and over the years, he helped them out so much. The thought of someone hurting the kind and energetic old man irked him.

"Where is he?" Tyson snarled angrily. He brusquely pulled the blonde to a standing position.

"They're at the former BEGA headquarters," he answered as he spat out blood.

"You better not be lying to us," Tyson growled angrily.

"He's not," the brunette assured. "As we've mentioned before, he is waiting for you."

"What does he want from us?" Hilary asked. This time she didn't flinch when their eyes focused on her.

"He wants every single blader dead, and he will liberate all of your bitbeasts. We will reign supreme over you pathetic mortals," the blonde started.

"It has already started; we have taken over our pathetic jailers. And we will no longer listen nor bow down to anyone," the brunette continued. "He will have revenge on all of you," his eyes stared into Kai's menacingly. Almost as if those words were a trigger, the power went out. Hilary gasped as the smell of smoke reached her nostrils.

The dojo was on fire.

Several cries of terror erupted as everyone immediately took off running. Hilary followed but stopped when she noticed that Tyson was running towards the flames. She briefly wondered why he would go back to the burning building. That's when she remembered, Hiro and Ozuma were still in there.

"Tyson!" Hilary called to him as she followed him. She would not leave her best friend alone in the blazing dojo. Tyson didn't listen as he went inside the room. Hilary followed him and when she got there, she noticed that Tyson had Hiro on his back.

"Hilary! Get Ozuma," Tyson coughed and Hilary wordlessly obeyed. She groaned when she picked up the comatose blader. He was a lot heavier than he looked. Her knees trembled but she followed Tyson. "Stay close, Hil."

Hilary did just that but stopped when Tyson looked around worriedly. He cursed when he realized they were surrounded in flames.

"What do we do, Ty?" Hilary asked as she tightened her hold on Ozuma. Her eyes began to burn and her lungs felt constricted. The scent of smoke was overwhelming. Tyson didn't reply and she began to wonder if anyone noticed that they were gone.

"Hilary! Tyson!" Hilary smiled in relief when she saw a beyblade thrown in a straight-line .A path was momentarily clear of flames and she took the opportunity and ran. Tyson followed her and together they ran towards their saviors.

Brooklyn and Kai immediately pulled them out of the burning building. Once out, Hilary collapsed under Ozuma's weight. She coughed violently and smiled when she felt arms supporting her. She turned to smile and thank Brooklyn, but was surprised it was Kai.

Kai looked at her in concern and she gave him a small smile. She turned towards Brooklyn and noticed that he was lifting Ozuma. He adjusted the comatose blader on his back and turned towards them.

"Come on, it isn't safe here." With those words, Kai released her and took Hiro from Tyson's arms. Tyson didn't complain since he was too busy having a coughing fit.

"Where is everyone else?" Hilary rasped out.

"As soon as we left the building, several bladers attacked us. Everyone ran in different directions, we have no idea where they went," Brooklyn answered.

"Is everyone alright?" Tyson asked in concern.

"We don't know," Kai answered honestly.

"Grandpa?"  
"He ran with Daichi and Kenny," Brooklyn soothed the worried blunette. "We'll finish this conversation later. For now, we have to find a safe place," they took off walking. Tyson looked back at the dojo with a sad smile. His home was destroyed.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

After several hours of walking and laying low, they decided to hide in an abandoned building. Hilary noticed the destroyed streets, burned buildings/ houses, and gasped angrily. The streets were void of any life and she mentally cursed Black Dranzer.

"It seems Black Dranzer has been busy," Tyson said bitterly. Hiro and Ozuma both lay next to him blissfully unaware of their current situation. Kai silently stared out the window and made no indication to have heard his comment, while Brooklyn was rummaging through a bag. Hilary hadn't noticed that he had brought it since she had been more focused on finding a safe place.

"What did you bring?" Hilary asked softly. Brooklyn looked up and smiled.

"Food, clothes and a few other things," he answered as he pulled out a few water bottles. "Here," he said as he handed her one. She readily accepted and almost sighed in relief, this was just what she needed. Tyson accepted the water as well but Kai refused it. He seemed intent on staring outside.

After he handed them the water, he went back to searching for something in the bag. Hilary curiously watched him and smiled when he pulled out a first aid kit.

"I knew I had left it in here," he said.

"It sure was lucky that you kept that in there," Tyson commented, and Brooklyn shook his head.

"It wasn't luck; I had this bag pre-prepared in case something like this happened."

"Aren't you handy," Hilary teased but blushed when he looked up and met her eyes. He gave her a small smile and her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly remembered their kiss and his confession.

"There's someone outside," Kai's sudden voice startled them. Brooklyn and Tyson immediately stood and quietly approached the window.

"Who is it?" Tyson whispered. The sun was already setting and he was getting worried. They wouldn't be able to see well in the dark.

"I don't know," Kai replied quietly. "He's just standing there."

Hilary sat still, hoping that whoever it was, wasn't a follower of Black Dranzer. She didn't think that they could take them on now that they were separated from everyone else.

"Is it them?" She timidly asked. Nobody answered her question as the three discretely stared out the window.

"I think he wants us to go outside," Tyson whispered to Brooklyn. Kai nodded in agreement, as he stared at the dark figure.

"I'll go," Brooklyn whispered back and Hilary opened her mouth to protest but Tyson beat her to it. However, he said something that surprised her.

"Be careful"

"Wait a minute, you are actually sending him out there? What if he gets attacked?" Hilary asked in disbelief. She didn't think that Tyson of all people would send a teammate out there knowing it could be dangerous.

"If he had wanted to attack us he would have done so a long time ago," Tyson answered. Brooklyn stood and began to walk out the back door but Hilary stopped him.

"Don't," she whispered, afraid that he would be hurt out there. She had a bad feeling about the dark figure out there. Brooklyn sighed, grabbed her hands, and stared her in the eyes. His blue eyes softened when he noticed the fear in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me. I'll be careful and I'll be back before you know it," he smiled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love you," he whispered softly.

Hilary immediately pulled him for a tight embrace. Her form shook with unmistakable fear. Brooklyn smiled sadly and returned the embrace. When he tried to pull away, she tightened her hold on him.

"Please, don't go, stay here," she whispered sadly. She felt tears pooling on her eyes as she began to hyperventilate, yet she had no idea why she was so afraid. Arms suddenly took hold of her and pulled her away from Brooklyn's embrace. She struggled against the arms and watched in mounting distress as Brooklyn left. He gave her a backward glance and disappeared from her line of vision. For some reason, she felt that she wouldn't see him again any time soon. The tears that she had been holding finally fell and she wept as she struggled against the arms that held her.

"Calm down," Kai's soft voice whispered in her ear and she finally stopped her struggling. She turned towards the window, where Tyson sat watching somberly.

"I can't see either of them anymore," Tyson said and with those words, Hilary pushed Kai away and ran to the window. She anxiously stared outside, but there were no traces of the red head or the dark silhouette.

Brooklyn was gone.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclamer: I don't own Beyblade or the characters. But I do own the plot.

A/N: Hope you like this chapter. Thanks for reading ! :D

Silent tears trailed down Hilary's distraught face. She sat on the cold floor while she looked out the window. She was hoping Brooklyn would come back, but it had been hours since he had disappeared. Why wasn't he back yet? Her gut feeling had warned her against letting him leave, but she couldn't stop him. She was half-tempted to run outside to search for him. Unfortunately, Kai and Tyson had their eyes on her and she knew that they wouldn't allow her to leave.

"Hilary, he'll be fine," Tyson tried to soothe her, yet he received a glare for his efforts.

"Then where is he?" She angrily shot back. Her sadness was slowly morphing into anger. It was all Tyson and Kai's fault. If they hadn't stopped her, she would have managed to stop him.

"He can take care of himself," Kai spoke up and her glare shifted to the stoic blunette. He didn't even seem the least bit concerned for Brooklyn. Her hands clenched and shook in anger. If it hadn't been for Kai pulling her away, she would have prevented Brooklyn from leaving.

"You shouldn't have stopped me," she snarled angrily.

"You're being ridiculous, stop it," Kai retorted, which only fueled her anger.

"I'm being ridiculous? Brooklyn has been missing for hours and we aren't even looking for him!"

Kai turned away from her, indicating that he was done with the conversation. Unfortunately for him, though, she wasn't done. She abruptly stood and stalked towards the blunette. Kai looked at her with a bored expression, and it only served to make her angrier.

"Listen here Kai, I-" She didn't get to finish her sentence since he covered her mouth and pulled her out of the room. She struggled against him and turned to Tyson for help, but he didn't interfere.

Kai pulled her to a different room, but he didn't release her. Instead, he pulled her on a tight embrace. Hilary froze when she felt the Russian's arms wrap around her trembling form. Her eyes widened when he rested his head on her shoulder. Her arms lay limply on her sides as she felt, more than heard, his sigh.

"Stop crying for him, I don't like it," he whispered against her neck. When she didn't say anything else, he continued. "Would you have cried if it had been me?" Hilary tried to pull away, but he tightened his hold on her.

"Let go," Hilary struggled.

"I don't want to," Kai raised his head and looked her in the eyes. His amber eyes stared into her ruby ones and she couldn't help but blush at the intensity of his stare. His eyes flickered to her lips and didn't hesitate to claim them.

Hilary's eyes widened as she felt him kiss her with a high intensity and passion. His hands released their hold on her waist and they slowly make their way to the sides of her face. He pulled her face closer to him, not seeming to notice that she hadn't responded to his kiss. His lips expertly moved around hers and she gasped when she felt him lick her lower lip. He took the opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth, eagerly urging her to respond.

Finally coming to her senses, Hilary angrily pushed him away. Startled, Kai stumbled back and she took the opportunity to slap him harshly. The sound of flesh against flesh seemed to bring him back to reality as his hand made its way to his left cheek.

"What's your problem?" Hilary barely contained herself from screaming. Kai didn't say anything as he watched her intently. "You can't just do that!" He couldn't just come back after a year and just kiss her as if he loved her. He had disregarded her feelings and left her without a second thought. In addition to that, he had a girlfriend. "What do you want from me?"

Kai didn't say anything as he looked at her with a blank expression. Seeing his stoic expression frustrated and angered her.

"Answer me!" She smiled bitterly when he remained silent. "I'm not in the mood for your games."

At her words, Kai reacted immediately. His jaw tensed as he felt his blood boil. She thought that he was toying with her? She should know that he wasn't one for games.

Hilary gasped when he suddenly took hold of her shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

"Do you think this is a game to me?" He growled angrily.

"Yes"

"This isn't a game, I genuinely care about you," he admitted, but she merely looked at him with a bored expression.

"You have a funny way of showing it, now if you excuse me," She tried to push him, but she stopped when he smacked the wall next to her face. She flinched but that didn't stop her from glaring at him.

"You wouldn't have minded this if it had been Brooklyn," he snarled.

"No, I wouldn't have, because he genuinely cares about me and he has never hurt me. He hasn't left me for a whole year without a word. Oh, and how could I forget a very important detail, he doesn't have a girlfriend," she brusquely pushed him, but he didn't budge. "Let me go."

"I care about you, more than you can ever imagine. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I had been afraid of my own feelings."

"What's this? Kai is talking about his feelings and admitting that he was afraid. Is the world ending?" She mocked heatedly.

"Don't mock me and listen," he growled. "I didn't tell you I was leaving because I was afraid that you would have stopped me from leaving. I left because you were getting too close to me and I didn't know how to respond. You haunted my dreams and my waking moments. Everywhere I went, you were all I could think of. I couldn't bare these emotions, so I tried ignoring them. I wanted to return your calls and listen to your voice but my pride prevented me from doing it. Valentina was there so I used her to get you out of my head, but it didn't work. No matter, how much I tried, it only made me want you even more. I regret leaving, but most of all, I regret hurting you. I love you."

Hilary's heart skipped a beat as she heard his confession. Kai had loved her all this time? When she didn't reply, he took her hands in his and tried to claim her lips once again. Hilary realized what he was doing and turned her face away so he ended up kissing her cheek.

She missed his hurt expression.

"So your pride was more important than me, and you thought that I was just going to fall into your arms like that?" Hilary felt her eyes stinging as months of pent up frustration and sadness came to her. "You left me without a care about my feelings because you felt scared? You knew what I felt, yet you harshly pushed me away. You didn't take a chance with me, but you did with another woman?"

"Hilary-"

"Don't, let me finish. Do you know what it feels like to know that someone you loved left and you were the only one that didn't know? Do you know what it feels like when the person you want calling, doesn't even bother to, not even on your birthday? Do you know what it feels like to see the person that you like, kissing another? Do you know what it feels like to feel insignificant to the person you love? No, you don't. So you have no right to tell me that you love me."

Kai lowered his eyes and she took the opportunity to leave. He didn't stop her as he felt guilt and regret. When he was sure that she was gone, he punched the wall angrily. He had messed up; he just hoped that he still had a chance because he did not intend to lose her.

Tyson looked up when Hilary walked into the room. She wordlessly walked towards the window and stared out. He sighed and shuffled next to her. Angry tears fell from her eyes and Tyson smiled sadly as he pulled her towards him. He embraced her tightly and she pulled away to smile at him.

"Thanks, Ty"

He didn't say anything; he merely tightened his hold on her and looked outside. It was useless to keep staring out the window, it was dark outside and the only light they got was from the moon.

"Will Brooklyn be alright?"

"Hils, this is Brooklyn we're talking about. He can take care of himself; I'm honestly more worried about the person that tries to hurt him. Besides, he wouldn't just die, not when he still has someone to protect." Hilary smiled at his words, he was right. Brooklyn would do whatever it took to make sure that she and her friends were safe.

"You're right"

"Of course I am, I'm right about many things yet you guys always seem shocked. It's a bit insulting actually," Tyson joked and Hilary giggled softly. Her giggles died down as she remembered the bladers' words.

"Ty, do you think that Mr. Dickenson is really dead?" Her voice came out somber as she refused to believe that he was dead.

"No," it wasn't Tyson that answered her, yet Hilary refused to look up. She wasn't ready to talk to Kai just yet. Fortunately, Tyson spoke up so that she didn't have to.

"How are you so sure, Kai?"

"Think about it, Mr. Dickenson would be the perfect bait to lure us to his hideout," Kai reasoned and Tyson sighed in relief.

"So what's the plan? We can't just charge to Black Dranzer's hideout with just three of us. Hiro and Ozuma would be useless in battle, given their unconsciousness."

"And Brooklyn isn't back yet," Hilary added worriedly. Kai gritted his teeth when he heard the name of his rival. Tyson noticed and suppressed himself from sighing. It felt like he was the reluctant third wheel during a lover's spat.

After their conversation, all three of them went to sleep. They were too exhausted to take turns on keeping watch. Besides, they were sure that the mysterious person wouldn't come back; he had taken Brooklyn for a reason.

Morning came and went uneventfully. Soft voices pulled Hilary away from her restless slumber. When she finally woke up, she noticed that Kai and Tyson were holding a walkie-talkie. She sat up and looked around the room hoping that Brooklyn had come back sometime during the night. Unfortunately, there were no signs of the red head.

"Where are you?" Tyson's voice drew her back to the walkie-talkie. Static could be heard in the background and she crawled towards Tyson to see what was going on.

" _We're at the convenient store. The owner was kind enough to let us hide here_ ," Daichi's voice replied. At hearing the young teenager's voice, Hilary visibly relaxed. She was glad that he was safe.

"Who's with you?" Tyson asked worriedly.

" _Grandpa, Kenny, Max and the rest of the PPB All Starz_ ," Daichi replied. Arguing could be heard on the other end and Daichi sighed in annoyance. " _How could I forget? Enrique is here too."_

"I take it you're all safe then?" Tyson asked in relief.

" _Yes we are, Rick and Michael were injured by the bladers, though, but the rest of us are fine. What about you? Who's with you_?"

"Hilary, Kai, Ozuma and Hiro; we were with Brooklyn but we aren't sure where he's at right now," Tyson answered. Before Daichi could speak again, Tyson continued. "Where exactly is the convenient store?" After hearing the address, Tyson nodded to himself. "Don't go anywhere; we'll go meet you there in a few hours." With that, he cut the connection.

Hilary stared at Tyson in exasperation. Had he forgotten about Brooklyn? They couldn't just leave when he was still not back yet. What would happen if he came back and didn't find them anymore? He would be alone.

"We're leaving," Tyson said as he turned to Hiro. Kai nodded and made his way to Ozuma.

"We can't go, Brooklyn's not back yet," Hilary argued. Tyson sighed as if mentally preparing himself for an argument.

"We can't stay here, please understand. The best course of action is to leave," Tyson reasoned, yet he froze at her glare.

"We can't leave until we're sure he's safe. I won't leave him, I won't, I can't," she argued weakly as she remembered his retreating back. Leaving now would mean that she had given up on his return, and she would never give up.

"Hilary, if he was going to come back, he would have already done so. Waiting here would be pointless if he's not coming back," Kai brusquely stated. Tyson slumped at his frank words; didn't that guy have any tact? Hilary froze but didn't argue anymore. Somehow, she knew it was true, Brooklyn wasn't returning.

Kai frowned when he noticed her distraught face. He hadn't meant to say it so harshly, but it was the truth. They had to leave because it was obvious that Brooklyn wasn't coming back. Even if he was, that meant that the person that took him knew where they were. It wouldn't be wise to remain in the same place just waiting to be attacked.

Hilary carefully picked up Brooklyn's bag and placed the walkie-talkie inside of it. She knew that he had brought it in case they were separated from the others, he really had been prepared. Sighing, she mentally prepared herself to go find the others.

After a few hours of walking and hiding, they finally made it to the convenient store. There were no signs of life in the empty streets; people were definitely hiding from the bladers. When they arrived at the store, Daichi quickly opened the back door and ushered them in.

Hilary noticed that their companions weren't alone, the owner of the store was there and he had given refuge to several other people. He welcomed them in and Hilary thanked him.

"I'm glad you're all safe," Daichi started as he led them to a corner. Tyson and Kai carefully lay Ozuma and Hiro on the floor.

"Any signs of the others?" Max asked worriedly.

"No, I just hope that they're safe."

"I'm glad, so have you eaten anything yet?" Tyson nodded as he sat on the floor feeling completely exhausted. Hilary was about to do the same, but Kai stopped her and grabbed her wrist. She looked at him in confusion and he discreetly asked her to follow him. She reluctantly followed, not noticing that they had gotten the group's attention.

"What's with those two?" Emily asked curiously. Nobody answered as they saw them walk towards the other end of the store.

Kai walked until he knew that they were out of everyone's hearing range. He turned to Hilary and looked into her eyes. Hilary remained still as she wondered what he wanted.

"What do you want?" She finally asked.

"I'm sorry."

Hilary froze; the last thing she had been expecting was an apology from the serious blunette.

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I've always wanted to protect you, but it seems that I've hurt you more than I realized. I hope you can give me a second chance. I will love and treat you properly," the tone of his voice indicated that he was being completely honest.

"Kai"

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by the blunette. He softly smiled and pressed his lips on hers for a chaste kiss.

"I love you," he whispered passionately. And with those words, he left.

Hilary placed a hand on her racing heart and allowed her body to slide to the floor. She hadn't expected that. She knew how to react around a stoic and cold Kai, but this; this was way out of her comfort zone. She didn't know how to behave around a more honest and expressive Kai.

She placed a hand on her lips and sighed. What was she going to do now? She cared about Kai, but her feelings for Brooklyn were also there. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to both of them, but which one did she really love? Kind, compassionate and sweet Brooklyn or bold, daring and apathetic Kai?

"Hilary!" Her eyes snapped to the voice in alarm. Daichi stood in front of her and he was breathing heavily.

"What's wrong Daichi? Is there-"

"Hiro's awake," he interrupted and she immediately stood up. Daichi took off running towards the rest and Hilary followed him.

Hiro was sitting with his back against the wall and he was greedily drinking water with the help of Tyson. Grandpa sat next to them watching them with unconcealed happiness. Kenny and Max were crying with tears of happiness, while the rest of the PPB All Starz and Enrique merely watched.

Hilary took a seat in front of them and smiled. It was a touching sight to see the Grangers' official reunion. Tyson had a bright smile on his face and he pulled the water bottle away when he noticed that his brother was satisfied.

"Tyson, Grandpa," Hiro rasped out.

"How are you feeling, bro?" Tyson asked worriedly.

"I'm alright. Don't worry Tyson," Hiro coughed and drank some water again. He shifted a little and blinked drowsily.

"You should rest," Tyson tried coaxing his brother to lie down, but Hiro waved him off.

"There's something I have to tell you," he whispered weakly.

"About Black Dranzer? Yeah, we know that he's possessed several people and that he's staying at the old BEGA headquarters. He also killed Boris," Tyson said. Hiro shook his head tiredly.

"There's more to this than you know, Tyson. Boris is still alive; he didn't die. He's-"

"We know," Tyson interrupted and Hilary gaped. What did he mean by that? "We saw him last night. He found us and he wanted us to follow him."

Kai nodded in agreement, while everyone else seemed just as shocked as her at the revelation.

So that's who was watching them last night, so Brooklyn followed Boris outside. No wonder they weren't very worried, they knew it was him. As the truth sank in, Hilary froze. They knew it was Boris, the same abusive, manipulative and power hungry bastard that was in charge of the abbey and they still sent Brooklyn out there!? What were they thinking!

Ignoring the brunette's outrage, Tyson continued.

"He's definitely not on Black Dranzer's side, so he must want to make a deal with us. As much as I hate to admit this, we need all the help that we can get."

"Tyson, Boris was the one who found Black Dranzer and he tampered with it. He enhanced his strength by feeding him with weaker bitbeasts'. They made it stronger than ever; eventually he became too strong to control. I'm sure you've realized by now that Andrei Petrov is merely a host. Black Dranzer is using him, and now that he's strong enough, he doesn't need to feed on bitbeasts anymore. Now, he's feeding off on human energy to be able to maintain his control on Andrei. Black Dranzer wants more than world domination; he wants human lives for himself and for his allies."

Tyson sighed and ran a hand through his hair, while Kai frowned. This was very serious. If what Hiro said was true, then Black Dranzer would keep on killing.

"They tried to kill me and Boris when they realized that we knew too much."

"Hiro, how do you know all this?" Tyson asked grimly and Hiro winced.

"I was part of the Bitbeast Enhancement Project," Hiro admitted. "I just never expected things to go out of control." Tyson merely nodded, his disappointment was evident. He wasn't pleased that his brother was partially responsible for the destruction.

"But why did Black Dranzer attack us?" Hilary asked, hoping to dispel the growing tension between the brothers. Hiro winced again and lowered his eyes to the floor sadly.

"I'm sorry, Hilary, but while training you were one of Andrei's main targets."

"Me? But why? I understand him attacking Tyson and the rest, they're all strong and considered a threat to him, but why me?"

"They target you because of what you mean to the Bladebreakers, specifically to Kai, Tyson and Brooklyn. Boris found one of their weaknesses, and he planned to hurt them with it. He wanted to defeat the Bladebreakers so badly that he overlooked many things. The dark bitbeast already had a personal vendetta against Kai and the rest of the Bladebreakers and his hatred ran deep."

"I see, so how do we stop him?" Hilary asked seriously.

"The only way I can think of is to capture them and get them into the extraction tubes. The bitbeasts' might be drawn out of the host bodies after the proper procedure is done."

"Sweet, then all we have to do is get these extraction tubes," Daichi smiled eagerly.

"However, the machines are still in Russia at one of Boris's old facilities," Hiro frowned.

"Then we can use one of my private jets to go pick them up," Enrique grinned eagerly. He casually placed an arm around Hilary's shoulders. "Don't worry about a thing babe; I'll make sure to get rid of the threat. Money and transportation aren't an issue for me."

"You're such a show off," Tyson growled angrily, but he was secretly glad that they had Enrique. Who knew the flirt would be so helpful?

"Then it's settled, just tell me where the extraction tubes are and I can have my people go pick them up," Enrique pulled out his cell phone and Kenny and Daichi growled angrily.

"Enrique," Kenny started angrily.

"Yeah?"

"All this time, you've had your cellphone with you, yet you never told us!? We could have called the others to know where they were!" Everyone sweat dropped and angrily glared at the clueless blonde.

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot. Well that explains all the missed calls I have from Robert and Oliver," he smiled sheepishly. "At least we had that walkie talkie with us, huh? But wait, why didn't any of you pull out your cellphones?"

"When we arrived from America, we didn't think to get international coverage. Otherwise we would have used them," Emily snapped angrily.

"Kenny, grandpa, and I don't even own a cellphone," Daichi growled and Hilary smiled at him. That explained why Brooklyn entrusted the other walkie talkie to them. He knew that they would have needed it in a situation such as this one, and for that she was grateful to him.

At that, the previous tension was dispelled. Everyone laughed and joked around. They had all smiled in relief when Enrique had made the call to his jet and to his teammates. Fortunately, most of their friends were close to them and they would meet up with them during the following day. It seemed that luck was finally on their side.

All that was missing was to have Brooklyn back because Hilary didn't trust Boris at all. She just hoped that the red head was safe, wherever he was.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hope you all like this chapter! Thank you for reading. I know I've said this many times before, but it really means a lot to me :)

Bright blue eyes stared impassively at the formerly violet haired man sitting across from him. Both of their gazes were unyielding, neither wanted to tear his gaze from the other. The others that were present in the room refrained from breaking the silence. They waited anxiously for one of the two to break the tense and uncomfortable silence. Finally, the silence was broken by the older man.

"It would be convenient for you to cooperate." Everyone's eyes fixed on the red head as he gave no indication of his feelings. He wore a calm and serene mask that was quite unnerving.

"And if I refuse?" Brooklyn smirked when he noticed the slight clenching of Boris's jaw, which was the only indication that the man was losing his patience. His face was horribly scarred from when he was burned; he was completely unrecognizable. He was completely bald and Brooklyn could see where new skin was growing. His new look served to make him even more sinister and intimidating than before. However, Brooklyn was no longer afraid of the formerly violet haired man and it was obvious to everyone present.

"Brooklyn, it would be in all of our best interests if you would listen," someone else joined the conversation. Finally, Brooklyn's eyes tore from Boris and focused on his previous teammate and "friend", Garland.

"I am listening, yet you have said nothing that garners my attention," Brooklyn looked around the room to everyone present. Besides Garland and Boris, Dr. K, King and Queen were also in the room. "Though I must admit, your presence in Japan is a bit shocking, when did you get here?"

"That is none of your business," Boris snarled.

"Oh, but on the contrary, it is my business. I'm very curious, so tell me, how did you know where we were? Zeus didn't warn me of anyone's presence while we searched for an adequate hiding place, which means you must have found a way to track us."

"How perceptive of you, I'm surprised that time with the Bladebreakers hasn't changed you." Boris seemed impressed. Back then, Brooklyn would have felt pleased to have impressed him, but now it was different. He no longer sought approval from the manipulative and cruel man. "I thought that they would have made you weak and soft. You-"

"You haven't answered my question," Brooklyn cut him off. He knew Boris enough to know when he was avoiding a question. Boris raised a painted eyebrow in amusement and nodded to Garland. Garland walked towards the door and opened it. He walked out of the room and didn't return for a while.

Brooklyn remained silent until he heard soft clicking on the floor. Garland reappeared with Voltaire and a stunning blonde woman. Her heels continued clicking until she finally stopped in front of Boris. Her hair was loose and stylishly curled. She wore a beautiful white knee length dress that accentuated her curves.

"Brooklyn, I would like you to meet the lovely Valentina Nikolaev. You already know Voltaire," Brooklyn didn't spare Voltaire a second glance. His gaze was fixed on the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Valentina greeted him with a flirtatious smile. Brooklyn didn't reply, instead, he turned to Boris with a bored expression.

"I should have known you would pull something like this. You're using her to get to Kai, and that's how you found us. I can't say that I'm impressed, surely you could have come up with something better."

"But it worked; Kai has no idea that she planted a tracker on his cellphone when he was distracted. We always know his exact location because of this. He was always careful and calculating, yet he let his guard down in front of a woman. What can I say; women have proven to be our undoing. Especially this one, she's got Kai wrapped around her finger."

Brooklyn clenched his teeth angrily. Kai not only hurt Hilary, but now he has put her at risk. Boris would always know where they were hiding, so it would be useless for them to change hiding places. He turned his attention to Valentina and she smirked at him arrogantly. No wonder she and Kai got along so well.

"At the moment, they're hiding at an abandoned hospital, so if you want your precious friends to be safe, then you must cooperate," Boris said with a small taunting smile. Brooklyn opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Boris spoke again. "It wouldn't do you well to lose your precious Hilary, would it?"

"Don't threaten her," Brooklyn snarled as he abruptly stood. King and Queen immediately pulled out their beyblades and pointed them at him. Dr. K and Voltaire watched him with interest, but Brooklyn ignored them.

"It seems you have hit a soft spot," Valentina commented in an innocent tone.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't plan to kill her right away. She is a pretty little thing after all; I couldn't possibly just let her go to waste. I'm sure she could have _other_ uses for me, don't you think?" Boris had a sick perverted smile on his face and that snapped the thin hold that Brooklyn had on his sanity.

Brooklyn growled and launched his beyblade at Boris who didn't even flinch. King and Queen's beyblades intercepted Zeus and that made the red head angrier. His blue eyes changed into an ominous green. A powerful vortex wrapped around them, yet it didn't faze the redhead. A dark hole appeared on the ceiling and everyone, except for Boris and Voltaire, flinched. They had all seen this before at the BEGA tournament. He had transported everyone to the dark corners of his mind, where he had nearly killed the Bladebreakers.

Everyone held onto things to prevent themselves from being sucked in. Boris lost his grin and frowned as he felt himself flying towards the hole. His hand gripped on a marble table, but he could feel his legs being pulled in. Finally, Voltaire spoke up to calm him down, lest he risk unnecessary death.

"Brooklyn, stop this nonsense. Hilary will not be touched and we will ensure her safety, if you help us." Brooklyn didn't listen, and the wind picked up speed, making everyone struggle to hold on to something. "Stop it! You have my word that no harm will come to the girl."

At those words, Brooklyn relaxed. Everyone fell down ungracefully, while Brooklyn glared angrily. His eyes never left Boris as he spoke.

"You will not use her against me ever again. If anything happens to her or to my friends, I swear that I will kill you all."

"No harm will come to them," Voltaire assured him. "Now, I believe we are done for the day. Garland, escort our guest to his room." Garland nodded and turned to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn followed with a serene expression, like if he hadn't just exploded in a fury of anger. It unnerved everyone; it seemed that the red head was still highly unstable.

Once they were gone, Voltaire turned to Boris angrily and he slapped the man harshly. Boris remained still and took the hit. Dr. K, King, Queen and Valentina wisely kept quiet.

"What were you thinking!? We need his aid to take down Black Dranzer. You didn't have to involve the girl in all of this. Your perverseness and idiocy knows no bounds. Threatening the girl will ensure that our carefully crafted plan will crumble. Brooklyn is not the only one that cares for her; it's obvious that my grandson is also very taken to her. Kai follows her around like a lost puppy and so does Tyson. We need them as our allies, not our enemies."

"Kai doesn't care about that whore. He's mine," Valentina snarled angrily.

"Apparently not, he came to Japan the moment he heard that she was in danger. I'm sure that you didn't even cross his thoughts," Voltaire taunted and felt satisfaction when she flinched.

Valentina stalked out of the room angrily. Everything was about Hilary and it sickened her. She felt jealous that Brooklyn had snapped the moment that Boris threatened her. She wished that she had that kind of devotion for herself, but no, Kai didn't give her any indication that he cared about her and it hurt. What was so special about Hilary anyways? She was nothing compared to her. Valentina knew that she was beautiful, sexy and rich. She could have any man she wanted, so why did she feel threatened by the plain brunette?

As she walked through the hallways, she passed by many of Voltaire's men and most of them looked at her lustfully. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and continued walking towards her destination, her room.

As soon as she walked in, she searched for her cellphone. When she found it, she immediately dialed Kai's number. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited.

He didn't answer.

She called again, and again he didn't answer. She kept calling until he finally answered. Her heart sped up when she heard his deep masculine voice.

" _What do you want_?" He asked brusquely, but she didn't let it bother her. He answered!

"Kai, thank goodness, I was beginning to worry. You haven't called and it's been days since we've talked. I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you," she smiled eagerly and waited for his reply.

" _Hn_ "

"Don't you miss me?" She asked, hoping he would say yes, even if it was a lie. She was heavily disappointed when he spoke.

 _"_ _Is there a point to this call?"_ His voice was cold and unfeeling.

"I wanted to hear your voice," she replied. "I also wanted to ask when you were going to return to Russia."

" _Look I'm busy right now, I have to go._ "

"Of course, take care of yourself. Love you." She frowned when he hung up without saying anything else. She tightened her grip on the phone and her hands shook from the force.

She stood up and walked outside towards the gardens. This was her family home that she had in Japan, not many knew of it since it was isolated from other houses. It was in the outskirts of Bakuten, so they didn't have to worry about unexpected visitors.

She gracefully walked through the beautiful gardens and took in the lovely scent of flowers. She smiled, thinking about the sakura tree that would provide her with a lovely aroma. However, she stopped when she noticed that there was someone already there. She recognized him at first glance, Brooklyn. He was lying down on the grass and he wore a completely peaceful expression. He had one of his arms behind his head and his eyes were closed. She slowly approached him and he cracked an eye open.

She removed her heels and sat next to him. He tensed and opened his other eye. Valentina took the time to admire his beautiful blue eyes and his untamed hair. The wind softly caressed his hair and it fanned around his flawless white skin. She hadn't paid much attention earlier, but now that she did, she realized how attractive Brooklyn really was. The man before her seemed like a peaceful angel, but Valentina knew better. Under all that calm façade, lay a dormant beast ready to pounce should it feel threatened.

"That was quite the display earlier. I had no idea you were that powerful," Valentina broke the silence. Brooklyn watched her warily wondering what she wanted.

"What do you want?" He asked her, and Valentina smiled bitterly. He had unknowingly asked her the same thing that Kai had.

"I want many things, but most of all, I want you to help us defeat Black Dranzer."

"I will bring him down, but not because any of you asked me to. I will do it because I don't want him to hurt my friends."

"You need Voltaire and Boris to defeat him and you know that. Boris had the abbey, but you probably didn't know that Voltaire kept some of those bladers. We will use them to defeat the dark bitbeast, but we need more bladers. We need to work together."

"I see, well from my perspective, Boris and Voltaire don't want us to work _with_ them. They want us to work _for_ them and I refuse," Brooklyn's eyes narrowed and Valentina flinched. She had seen what he was capable of, and she didn't want to set him off.

"I'm surprised; rumor goes that you have gone soft with all the time that you've been with Tyson and the rest," Valentina said carefully.

"I _have_ gone soft, but only with them. Make no mistake; should anyone try to hurt them, you will see a completely different side of me. What you saw today will be nothing compared to what's in store for anyone that dares to hurt them," Brooklyn said and he closed his eyes again.

The conversation was over.

The obvious threat made Valentina a bit nervous, but it also caused an unknown emotion course through her. She liked the dangerous aura that danced around the seemingly calm red head. Unfortunately, he only appeared to be concerned for Hilary and his friends.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It had been one whole week since the bladers had burned the dojo and everyone had already been reunited. They were currently at an abandoned airport, where they anxiously waited for Enrique's private jet to land. The Blitzkrieg boys, Tyson, Max, Hiro, Enrique, Ray, and Hilary were the only ones there. The rest were either at their new base waiting for them, or in the halfway point to ensure that they returned safely.

Hilary tightened her hold on Shiro, her eyes kept scanning the area. Black Dranzer had probably seen the jet and would send someone to investigate. Everyone was alert and ready in case they were attacked.

"Mr. Enrique, we brought what you have requested," several men came out and they took out the giant machines. Tala parked an empty school bus behind the jet so that they wouldn't struggle to transport the machines. Tyson drove a second school bus, where they added the rest of the equipment. Hiro stood at the top of the bus that Tyson drove, ready to protect it and his brother, if something were to happen. Bryan quickly climbed on top of the bus that Tala was driving, he would protect his friend.

"Good work," Enrique complimented and the man smiled at the praise. "Listen, I want all of you to be as discreet as possible when you leave. This whole city is being watched so be careful."

The man nodded and left. They didn't delay in their exit and Hilary nearly let out a sigh of relief. However, several beyblades were launched in their direction.

Hilary turned towards the attackers and immediately released her beyblade. They had to distract them long enough for Tala and Tyson to drive away.

Tala seemed concerned and tried to get off the bus, but Ray stopped him.

"Tala, Tyson, you guys should get out of here. We'll handle this; you guys should just focus on taking the equipment to Kenny and the others," Tala nodded and drove away; Bryan gave them a backwards glance and tensely gripped his beyblade ready to protect the bus and Tala if necessary. However, Tyson seemed to be hesitating.

"Leave Tyson, we got this under control," Max urged the Dragoon wielder. Finally, Tyson nodded.

"Be careful guys and please protect Hilary," Tyson called out and he took off. Hilary would have been offended, if she hadn't thought that it was sweet of him to worry about her.

Several bladers made to follow them, but Ian and Spencer covered the way.

"If you want to get to them, then you have to get through us first," Spencer said with a smirk.

Hilary took the time to count their opponents and noticed that there were 10. It was going to be 7 vs 10. She didn't feel very concerned, Brooklyn and Kai had had worse odds.

Hilary called out for Shiro and her faithful bitbeast made an appearance. Three bladers noticed this and they went against her. Hilary braced Shiro for an attack, but she didn't get to since Dranzer sped in front of Shiro and attacked first. The fiery bitbeast made an appearance as it let out an ear piercing screech and attacked again.

Kai was protecting her.

The bladers formed a line together, preparing to attack in unison.

Hilary shared a sideway glance with the blunette and nodded meaningfully. Kai gave her a small nod in return. They wouldn't waste time; they were going to attack them together.

"Shiro, Fire Burst!"

"Dranzer, Blazing Gig!"

Scorching fire came out as both of their attacks merged and knocked down the bladers. The force of the impact caused Kai and Hilary to blow backwards a bit, but their opponents were sent flying. Hilary smiled eagerly, they had won. It may be arrogant for her to say, but she hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Good job, Hilary," Kai gave her a small smile of approval. He was impressed and Hilary felt proud of herself. She was glad that Tyson had considered her good enough to be in the first line of defense. It made her feel like she accomplished something and that she was useful.

"We should hurry and be on our way, they may need our help," Ian said as he pocketed his beyblade. Hilary nodded and took Shiro.

Max, Spencer and Ray were tying down the knocked out bladers. They then carried the bladers to the back of the bus; they were going to take them back to base. They had planned everything, two buses for the equipment and a third bus for any bladers that they might capture. Once Kenny and Emily got the machines working, they would try it out on the bladers and pray that it worked.

Everyone got into the vehicle. Enrique took the wheel and everyone else took a seat in the floor. The buses had all of the seats removed so that they could move if necessary. Their knocked down hostages were tied and knocked out towards the back, where Spencer, Ian, and Ray watched them. Kai went to the top of the bus to keep watch in case they were attacked by surprise.

In thirty minutes they reached the halfway point, where they saw Lee sitting on a tree branch. Once he saw them, he smiled and jumped on the bus. They opened the top door and he slid inside.

"The halfway point was secured, everyone left with Tyson and Tala." He glanced at the knocked down bladers and smirked. "They're not so tough after all."

"Did you run into any of them?" Max asked.

"No, apparently, they just attacked the airport. Hopefully they don't run into trouble on their way. Even if they did, Mariah, Kevin, Gary, Rick, Oliver and Michael went with them. I stayed to wait for all of you. I'm glad that you're all safe."

Enrique's phone began to ring and the blonde smiled and answered.

"Hey, what's up Oliver? ...Really? ... Sweet, we're on our way… Yeah, see you in a little while. Don't miss me too much, bye." Once he hung up, he let out a bright smile. "Oliver just told me that they're back at base. They had no run-ins with the bladers."

"That's great," Max said with an equally bright smile. Hilary let out a little sigh of relief. They were going to be okay.

 _THUD_

Everyone jumped at the loud sound and Hilary looked up at the emergency exit. Her heart began to pound when she heard a soft whirring accompanied by Kai's loud cry.

"Dranzer!"

"Should I stop?" Enrique asked with unconcealed anxiousness.

"No, keep going," Spencer said as he exchanged nods with Ian. "Ray, keep watch on them."

"Wait, where are you going?" Max asked as they opened the back doors. They both ignored him as they jumped and climbed to the roof of the bus. The doors slammed shut, but you could hear the battle intensifying on the top.

Hilary jumped when a figure landed on the hood of the bus. Enrique let out a startled cry as blood soaked the windshields. The bus swiveled violently since Enrique had been distracted. The figure woke up and started pounding on the glass with his bare hands. A sickening crunch sounded as he broke his hand, but he kept pounding on the glass, not seeming to feel any pain.

Hilary covered her face when something was launched at the window. Cracks started to appear until finally, the glass gave out and shattered. Crystals of glass hit Enrique's flesh, yet he didn't stop his driving.

Ray stood anxiously but he hesitantly watched the unconscious bladers. He couldn't leave; he would run the risk of them waking up.

"You watch the back with Max, Hilary and I will watch the front," Lee said with a strong determination. He took out his Galeon with a serious expression.

He climbed on the hood, not seeming to care that the glass cut his flesh. Hilary made to follow, but Lee stopped her.

"You will stay inside and watch over Enrique," Lee said with a somber expression. "Max, try to make contact with Tyson and the others." Hilary and Max nodded. Lee kicked the blader off and climbed to join the battle on the roof. Hilary bit her lip anxiously; she knew that they were not going to have much space to move, much less beybattle. One wrong move and her friends could fall off the bus.

Enrique suddenly began to cough and Hilary turned to him in horror. Enrique had a beyblade deeply wedged in his stomach. His blood soaked the beyblade, and she could no longer tell what its real color was.

"Oh my God, Enrique?" Hilary called to him in panic. She tore at her shirt, leaving her midriff exposed. She placed a hand on his chest and the other on top of the wound.

"You know, I have dreamt of this since the first time I saw you. Just without the blood," Enrique joked as he began to wheeze. Hilary watched the beyblade seriously; it was embedded in his flesh. "Pull it out," he whispered painfully and Hilary nodded as she pulled it out. He cried out in pain, but refused to let go of the wheel. Tears pooled in her eyes as she noticed the alarming amount of blood he was losing.

She wasted no time and wrapped his injury. She was surprised that Enrique was even conscious, let alone driving. Judging by his blood loss, he would be passing out soon, or worse.

"Stop the bus," she ordered painfully.

Enrique started to blink wearily and Hilary made to move him, but he stopped her.

"Don't worry about me; I gotta make sure to take everyone to safety," Enrique forced a smile. "And then I have to take you on a date." Hilary nodded with tears falling from her eyes. "Why are you crying? Girls are usually eager to go out with me."

"Are they?" Hilary tried to ask teasingly, but failed miserably. He smiled softly at her attempt. She then remembered that she couldn't let him sleep, if she did, then he might never wake up again.

"Yeah, I'm very popular with the ladies. Though I must admit, you have been my favorite one," Enrique coughed out blood. Hilary went to tear more of her shirt, but a shirt was given to her before she could. She turned to Ray and smiled gratefully. "Aww Ray, you just ruined the show." Enrique playfully whined and he coughed again. He looked at the front and drove carefully, not caring that he was bleeding out.

"You're sure a pervert," Hilary forced a laugh as she began to clean his face.  
Enrique smiled and slowly grabbed Hilary's hand with his right one. His eyes never left the road and he only used his left hand to drive. His hand was alarmingly cold.

"Enrique, stop the bus, we need to check over your injuries," Hilary whispered brokenly.

"I'm not stopping. If we do, more bladers will catch up to us and then we'll all be screwed," Enrique said with a strong determined look in his usually playful face.

"Please, hurry up and get here already!" Max cried out desperately to the phone in the background. A loud crash sounded as one of the bus's middle windows was broken. A hand strongly tugged on the emergency door and opened it. Several bladers walked inside. Max and Ray ran towards the door and fought to keep the bladers out.

"Hilary, I have to make a confession." He coughed and she cleaned out the blood that fell down his chin. "I really like you, and this time, I mean it." Hilary nodded numbly at his confession; she had honestly not known that he actually liked her. She had thought that he just flirted with her, like he did with every other girl. "I liked you since the first moment I saw you. You were a rose, very beautiful and seemingly delicate, but you were actually a deadly beauty. A _very_ deadly one, you sure are scary when you're angry," he chuckled but started to cough again. "I admire that."

"Oh, Enrique," Hilary began to cry louder and Enrique tightened his hold on her hand.

"Now, about that date, I think we'll have to wait a little while."

"Of course, we'll go as soon as this is all over. You choose the place," Hilary went along with it.

"Letting me take charge, eh? I like that." After a while of silence, Enrique spoke up again. "Can you dial Oliver for me, please?"

Hilary nodded and with shaky hands took hold of the phone and redialed the last person that he had spoken with. She ignored the loud beybattles going around her and focused on getting hold of Enrique's best friend. Thankfully, after the second ring, he answered.

" _Enrique! Thank goodness you're alright, I was beginning to worry. Max said that you guys are under attack! Don't worry pal, we're almost there_ ," Oliver's panicked voice greeted her and she sadly put the phone on speaker. Enrique slowly grabbed her hand again and she gave him an encouraging squeeze.

"Oliver," Enrique started with a shaky voice. "I just wanted to let you know that you're my best friend and I love you. You've always been there for me, especially when I most needed you. Can you tell Robert and Johnny that although they're pricks, they're two of my closest and dearest friends? I couldn't have asked for a better team or friends."

" _Enrique, why are you saying these things? Is something wrong_?" Oliver asked in alarm. " _We see you, don't worry pal, we're coming_."

Hilary looked towards the distance and smiled when she noticed that a bus was driving towards them at a tremendous speed. Enrique gradually stopped the bus, careful not to stop suddenly.

"They're here. We made it," Enrique smiled as he weakly tugged on Hilary's hand. Hilary nodded and turned to Enrique with a smile. He was going to be okay, but she froze when she felt his hold on her loosen.

"No, no, Enrique, you have to stay awake. Oliver and the others are here. You can't go to sleep, damn it," Hilary cried out as she sadly shook him. Enrique's eyes closed and he let out one final breath.

"Enrique," Oliver's broken whisper drew Hilary's attention to the door and she quickly opened it. Oliver ran up and Hilary moved away. Tears fell down his face as he embraced his best friend. Johnny and Robert followed and they also ran towards their fallen comrade. Hilary watched with mounting sadness as they all called out to him, asking him to come back.

Hilary looked down at her blood soaked hands and ran outside the bus. She looked at the damage done to the bus and she let out a heart wrenching cry. She ran her hands through her hair and she screamed. Why did it have to be Enrique? Why couldn't she have saved him? She should have forced him to stop the bus instead of listening to him. Why was she so useless?

Arms wrapped themselves around her and she clung to the person, not caring who it was. They were offering her comfort, comfort that she desperately needed.

"Its okay, Hilary. Everything's going to be, okay," Kai whispered in her ear. Hilary tightened her hold on the blunette, and he didn't seem to care that she covered him in blood.

"I hate them," Hilary whispered angrily. She pulled away from Kai and turned towards the floor. She gripped Shiro tighter and made her way to her destination.

"Hilary, what are you doing?" Tyson asked nervously as he approached her. He grabbed her arms but flinched when she gave him a hateful glare, unlike her usual ones. She glared angrily at 8 unconscious bladers; one of them had killed Enrique. She didn't know exactly which one, but she honestly didn't care anymore. She pulled out Shiro, ready to launch him, but she was stopped by Kai and Tyson.

"Let go," she growled angrily. They gripped her shoulders tightly, afraid that she would actually kill one of the bladers.

"Hilary, get a hold of yourself. They are possessed; they weren't the ones that killed Enrique. This is not their fault."

"They killed him, Tyson! I watched him die," Hilary screamed in pure agony. "This wasn't like with Hiro, Enrique is not coming back!"

She struggled against the men that held her until she was too tired to fight anymore. Hilary fell on her knees and cried. Nobody dared approach her for a while.

A few painful seconds later, she heard soft steps approaching her and she looked up to find Oliver watching her with a miserable expression.

Yes, it hurt her to lose Enrique, but Oliver was clearly in so much more pain. He lost his best friend, one that had gone on so many adventures with him. He kneeled down to her level and pulled her on a tight embrace.

Hilary froze and felt her anger give way to be replaced by intense sadness. Images of Enrique filled her head, his smile, his shameless flirting, his bravery and his last words. Her whole body shook as she wrapped her arms around Oliver. She heard his painful whimpers and cried with him.

Everyone watched the two with sad hearts. Johnny and Robert openly shed their tears, something that nobody had ever expected nor wanted to witness. It was truly heartbreaking to see two strong men being reduced to tears. Tyson cried as well and he put a comforting hand on Johnny and Robert's shoulder.

Since their battle with Black Dranzer, this was their first loss, and it made their desire to win that much more personal. Now, they all had a purpose. They didn't want anyone else to suffer the same loss they did.

"Black Dranzer, we will take you down. That's a promise," Tyson spoke up and everyone silently vowed the same thing.


	22. Chapter 22

Voltaire stalked towards his temporary office lividly. Dr. K, Boris and Valentina followed, not daring to speak in fear of the man's wrath. They had just received news that their equipment had been stolen. They had sent a team to Russia to recover very expensive and important machines to extract bitbeasts. They were hoping to use those machines to contain Black Dranzer. Unfortunately, for them, those plans were now ruined.

"Who else knew of the equipment's location?" Voltaire asked angrily.

"Everyone was killed that day, sir. The only ones who managed to survive were Hiro Granger and myself," Boris said as he felt cold sweat run down his face.

"Where is Hiro now?"

"I don't know, last time I saw him, he was on his way to Japan. It all occurred around two weeks ago, but I haven't seen him since," Boris flinched at Voltaire's glare.

Voltaire opened the door to his office and walked in. He was prepared to give Boris a verbal lashing, but all thoughts left his mind when he realized that they weren't alone. Brooklyn was sitting in the large office chair and his feet were on the desk. His eyes were closed, but they opened as soon as he saw them. He gave them a devious smirk, and didn't bother standing up.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Boris asked the insolent red head.

"Relax Boris, I'm here to negotiate and it would be convenient for you to listen," Brooklyn said in a seemingly innocent tone. He had purposely echoed the words Boris had said to him the day before. Boris opened his mouth to put the boy in his place, but Voltaire stopped him.

"And why should we listen to you?" Voltaire asked, though a bit annoyed, his curiosity had been piqued.

"It seems that you have encountered a problem regarding your machinery. It has been tragically stolen, and now you don't have a chance to defeat Black Dranzer. It's only a matter of time before he finds you here and realizes that Boris survived. Then you'll all be six feet under," Brooklyn said as he sat up straight.

"How did-"

"Therefore, I propose that you work _for_ us. You will give us access to your technology and surveillance to monitor Black Dranzer's movements. In addition to that, you will give us full authority to mobilize your little army of bladers."

"How dare-" Brooklyn once again cut Boris off.

"Let me make this clear, _you_ need _us_ , not the other way around. We have the best and most resourceful bladers in the world on our side and Black Dranzer fears us for this. So either you work for us and defeat Black Dranzer or you're all screwed. Take your pick," Brooklyn stood and stared into Voltaire's eyes.

"I accept your proposition, feel free to use the Nikolaev state of the art technology. I can give you access to our satellites to track Black Dranzer's movements," Valentina spoke up before anyone else could. Brooklyn blinked in surprise, he hadn't expected this. Voltaire and Boris turned to look at her sharply.

"Valentina, you have no right to-"

"Know your place, Boris. This is my mansion, my technology and my decision. You have proven to be useless in bringing down that volatile monster. It seems that I had overestimated your capability."

Boris frowned and glared hatefully at Brooklyn. Brooklyn ignored him and focused his stare on Voltaire; he still hadn't agreed to give him access to his bladers. Finally, the man gave him a barely noticeable nod and left, Boris and Dr. K trailed behind him. Realizing he was alone with Valentina, Brooklyn focused his gaze on her.

"Why are you here?" Brooklyn finally asked. He was honestly curious as to why she was in cahoots with those two men. She didn't strike him as a bad person, so why?

"I'm here for Kai; I want to ensure his safe return to Russia. Voltaire told me that by accessing Kai's whereabouts, I will guarantee his safety. I have offered my assistance in defeating Black Dranzer so that Kai won't be hurt."

Brooklyn's eyes softened when he saw the lingering hurt and devotion in her eyes. She was hurting, just like Hilary was. Kai hurt Hilary by leaving her side, and he hurt Valentina by being with her. The blunette had a lot to learn about women's feelings.

"And you? Why are you here?" Valentina asked him seriously. "You followed Boris here, knowing it was him, why?"

"For the same reason you're here. I'm here to ensure Hilary's safety. I don't care much about what happens to me, but I don't want to see her get hurt anymore," Brooklyn answered without hesitation. Valentina flinched, it was always about Hilary. Kai left Russia for Hilary and Brooklyn came into the line of fire for Hilary.

"What's so special about her that warrants such devotion?" Valentina asked bitterly.

"What's so special about _him_ that warrants your devotion?" Brooklyn countered and Valentina's eyes widened. Then her beautiful blue eyes dimmed as depression and bitterness overtook her expression. Brooklyn sighed; he knew that her bitterness was due to months of unrequited love.

"He cares about me, I know he does," she answered softly. She refused to acknowledge that Kai had whispered, on numerous occasions, Hilary's name while he was with her. He thought that she hadn't heard him, but she had. He rarely called her and he never showed her his feelings. He was always tense around her and would space out during their time together.

Unknowingly, tears started to fall from her eyes as she kept remembering Kai's indifference around her. She absentmindedly sat on a chair and Brooklyn took that as his cue to leave. She didn't even turn to him when he opened the door.

After casting a sympathetic glance to her, he left. He would have gone to comfort her, but it was time to see his friends again. He had been separated from them for too long.

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Tyson ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He hadn't had a wink of sleep the night before, in fear of losing another friend. He had kept watch the whole night and refused to take any breaks. Kenny, Emily and Hiro weren't sleeping either since they were too engrossed in setting up the machines and figuring out how they worked. Hiro had helped a little, but it was evident that his brother was no expert in technology.

"Kenny, plug in the black cord. Kenny? Kenny!" Emily called to him in exasperation. She hadn't had any sleep and it was making her irritable. Kenny absentmindedly did as she asked. Usually Emily wouldn't have wasted a second to tell him off, but she knew he was still depressed about Enrique. She hadn't known Enrique for long, and his death still hurt her. She couldn't even begin to imagine how his teammates were dealing with it.

"How are you holding up, Tyson?" Hiro asked calmly, no sign of fatigue in his posture.

"I'm good," Tyson lied. He was tired, depressed and worried, but he wouldn't tell that to Hiro.

"It's alright to admit your feelings, Tyson. Enrique was just buried yesterday and-"

"And he was killed by one of your failed projects," Tyson interrupted. Hiro frowned, he knew that Tyson blamed him a little and he couldn't really blame him.

"I'm sorry"

Tyson blinked away some tears and turned his attention to Kenny and Emily. His thoughts drifted to Hilary and he sighed. The brunette was a mess. First, there hadn't been a sign of Brooklyn in over a week, and second, she watched Enrique die. Kai tried to provide emotional support for her, but she still hadn't forgiven him. Tyson sighed, they were all a mess. The only good news was that Ozuma had woken up.

"It's working!" Tyson jumped in alarm and turned to an enthusiastic Emily. Kenny's depression melted to show some enthusiasm as the machine made noises.

"Now let's just figure out how the extraction works," Kenny said with a small smile. He pulled out Dizzy and began hacking the machine's network. He was trying to decode the password to get access.

"Tyson, we've got company," Tala's voice interrupted their enthusiasm. Tyson and Hiro exchanged glances and followed the red head.

"Have the others been informed?" Tyson asked seriously and Tala nodded. By the time they made it to the entrance, several black cars were already parked outside.

Hilary followed the commotion and gasped when Boris came out of one of the cars. His face was nearly unrecognizable since he had heavy burns marks. She had known that he was alive, but she had forgotten that he was burned and left for dead. A man came out afterwards, Hilary recognized him as Kai's grandfather, Voltaire. Finally, a third person came out and Hilary felt her heart beat accelerate.

A familiar red head walked out and he turned his brilliant blue eyes to her. Hilary gasped and covered her mouth; she felt her heart beat accelerating as she took in his frame. He was dressed in a black outfit that she hadn't seen before, but she didn't care. She was shocked that she was seeing the red head after days of separation.

Brooklyn recovered faster and he ran towards her. Hilary shakily took some steps towards him and smiled when she felt him clash against her. His arms wrapped around her possessively and she eagerly returned his embrace.

She pulled away to look him over, making sure that he didn't have any injuries. When she was assured that he was safe, she smiled.

"You're alright. I'm so glad, I was just so worried," she whispered softly as she cupped his cheeks. Kai's jaw clenched as he witnessed the scene, but he remained silent, for now.

"I'm safe, so don't worry about me," Brooklyn smiled as he pecked her forehead. Voltaire coughed meaningfully and Brooklyn reluctantly pulled away.

"Hiro, I should have known you were still alive," Boris snarled. Hiro smirked but remained silent. "I knew it was you that took the machines, you sleazy bastard."

"I believe there is much to discuss," Voltaire said before Boris could continue talking.

"Yes, there is," Tyson said as he and Kai took a few steps forward. Voltaire nodded and raised his hand. He made a hand gesture and several doors were opened at once. Several young men walked out, all dressed in the same black uniform that Brooklyn was wearing. Amongst them, Garland, King and Queen walked out.

They all stood in perfect formation behind Voltaire and he nodded to Garland. He nodded and walked towards the first vehicle. He opened the door and held out his hand. A dainty feminine hand took his and he helped her get out.

Hilary recognized her instantly. Beautiful blonde hair and captivating blue eyes, revealed Valentina, Kai's girlfriend. She wore a beautiful red dress that had several eyes turning to her gorgeous frame. Hilary gave a sideway glance at Kai and noticed him tensing.

Hilary then turned to Brooklyn and frowned when she noticed that his expression had softened when he turned to the gorgeous Russian woman.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked brusquely as he took a step towards Valentina.

"We have much to discuss," she said with a small Russian accent. Kai didn't comment, he merely narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, aren't you going to invite us in?" Voltaire asked seriously.

"No way in hell, we discuss this outside," Tyson growled, already on the defensive. Hiro walked towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's allow them in Ty, let's try to be civil," Hiro said. Tyson blanched at his brother's words. "If they try something against us, we kill them."

"Very well, you can come in, but no funny business." Tyson said as his eyes met Ray's. He nodded discretely and Ray returned it, they would keep a close eye on all of them.

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"I see negotiations went well," Valentina said as soon as she saw Kai exiting the meeting room. He merely gave her a sideway glance and continued walking towards his room. "Kai, we're not done talking." He stopped and she walked towards him. She took his arm and frowned when he tensed at the contact. Fortunately for her, he didn't pull away.

She quietly led him to a small fountain outside of the previously abandoned hospital. She sat on the edge and hoped Kai would take her lead, but he didn't. He merely turned cold empathetic eyes to her.

"Kai, I-"

"It's over," he said nonchalantly, almost as if he were merely commenting about the weather. Valentina's heart felt like if it had been shattered.

"What?" She asked sadly. He didn't bother repeating himself and she suddenly felt anger. No, she didn't feel angry at him; she felt angry at Hilary. It was most likely her fault that Kai was leaving her. "Is it because of _her_?" Valentina asked bitterly. Again, Kai didn't even bother with a reply. "Of course it is, that loose slut probably seduced you. She-"

"Don't ever speak that way about Hilary!" Kai growled angrily. Valentina flinched at his tone. He had never spoken to her with that much anger and that made her hatred for the brunette grow.

"But she _is_ a loose whore; did you know that she's been seducing Brooklyn? That poor idiot follows her around like a lost puppy not knowing what kind of slut she is. She's just toying with both of you. She doesn't deserve either of you!"

Valentina gasped when Kai took hold of her shoulders and roughly backed her up against the wall.

"If anyone's a slut, it's you," he snarled. "Now leave with what little dignity you have left."

Valentina gasped and ran towards the room that was given to her. It wasn't fair! Tears began to fall down her face and she saw red when she found the culprit of her suffering. She was sitting by the stairs with Brooklyn beside her.

Feeling anger coursing through her veins, Valentina approached them.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"It wasn't your fault," Brooklyn whispered as Hilary told him about what happened with Enrique. The brunette merely smiled sadly as tears trailed down her face.

"Everyone's been saying that, but I just felt so useless and incompetent. I couldn't save him. Oliver is depressed; I haven't seen him since the funeral. I can't begin to imagine what he's feeling," Hilary said sadly.

Brooklyn responded by wrapping his arms around her. His poor Hilary had gone through a lot and he hadn't been there for her when it happened. Just as he opened his mouth to offer comforting words, Valentina stalked towards them. She swung her hand roughly and tried to slap Hilary.

She tried, because Kai's hand had captured hers before she managed to strike the bewildered brunette. Understanding what could have happened; Brooklyn stood up and glared down at the Russian woman.

"Let me go! That slut must learn her place," Valentina growled and Hilary's momentary confusion turned into anger.

"Me? A slut? Have you tried looking in a mirror? If anyone here is a slut, it's you!" Brooklyn smiled softly, there was Hilary. He was beginning to worry about her, seeing as how she was depressed about Enrique's death. Kai felt the same way, but he was still holding Valentina's wrist. "Let her go, Kai. If she tries anything I'll slap the insolence right out of her."

Obediently, Kai reluctantly released Valentina's wrist. As expected, Valentina went to slap Hilary, but she was stopped by a blow to her cheek. Stunned, Valentina could only blink a few times feeling disoriented. When she finally regained her composure, she held her cheek protectively.

"You uncouth savage! How dare you hit me!?"

"Try insulting or hitting me again, I dare you!" Hilary growled angrily. Instead of stopping her, Brooklyn and Kai stood behind her, they both supported her.

Seeing this caused Valentina to walk away in humiliation. How could one puny Japanese woman have this much hold on both Kai and Brooklyn? What was so special about her?

"Well, you handled that well," Brooklyn said with a small smirk.

"Hilary, can we talk?" Kai asked as he sent a small glare at the red head. Brooklyn stiffened at his words. Kai had been with Hilary for a whole week, a lot could happen in that time. Hilary sighed and nodded.

"Whatever you're going to say to her, you can say it in front of me," Brooklyn said insolently. Kai snarled at his words and opened his mouth to insult him, but Hilary interrupted him.

"Brooklyn, don't," Hilary shook her head and Brooklyn felt his heart stop. Why was she taking Kai's side?

Kai grabbed her hand and led her elsewhere. Hilary didn't pull away, as Brooklyn expected. Instead, she allowed him to lead her. Brooklyn could only watch with glassy eyes as they walked away together. He had wanted to grab her and prevent her from leaving, but he was a coward. He was scared of grabbing her and having her pull away from him.

She had always loved Kai, so why did it still hurt so much? He had expected this; he just hadn't expected the heart wrenching pain in his chest. It was obvious that something had happened between them, and he was just in the way. From what he had witnessed earlier, Valentina was no longer an obstacle between them.

A lone tear fell from his eye. Unbeknown to him, a pair of sympathetic eyes witnessed everything.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you all for reading! I apologize for taking so long in updating. I decided to post another chapter within the same week to make up for all that time that I took! Hope you all like it! :)

Laughter boomed across the snack bar as Voltaire's men got acquainted with everyone. In contrast to what they had initially suspected, they were genuinely nice guys. They only wanted to defeat Black Dranzer and recover their possessed friends. Even Tyson seemed to be enjoying himself. They had only been there for two days, and they were already good friends.

Brooklyn watched everyone nonchalantly; he even ignored the man that was looking at him sympathetically.

"Brooklyn, fancy seeing you here," Grandpa Granger said. "I have barely seen you at all these past days; you've been keeping to yourself." Brooklyn turned to him blankly and grandpa had to resist the urge to wince. He hadn't seen that expression in a long time.

"Mr. Dickenson is being tortured. Did you know that?" Brooklyn asked vacantly. Grandpa turned to him in shock as he felt tears pooling in his eyes. He has suspected this, but he had refused to believe it. "He's being tortured, and what are we doing? Having a nice get together, that's what."

"How do you know that?" Grandpa asked in a shaky voice. Brooklyn turned away, never losing his composure.

"You really don't want to know." The way he said it, with such serenity, was unnerving. Had he really been this way before?

"There you are, we need to talk," Garland interrupted their conversation. Brooklyn nodded in response. He excused himself and followed his former teammate.

Grandpa Granger could do nothing but watch him go with a heavy heart. He was failing him. Brooklyn had a very delicate hold on his sanity, and he was losing it.

"Hiro is almost finished with his plan," Garland said after he was sure that they were out of earshot. "We can try to take them on by surprise. The machine is fully operational and has already been used on the hostages. They don't remember being possessed."

"I see"

"You of all people should know why I did it. I only joined them as a necessity; I never betrayed you. I still consider you my friend, even if you resent me," Garland started hesitantly.

"I know"

"That's why I need to talk to you. I can see you're planning something reckless. Please, think it through. Black Dranzer is very dangerous and there are no guarantees that the old man is still alive," Garland said seriously.

"Mr. Dickenson"

"Pardon?"

"His name is Mr. Dickenson; he's not just any old man. He was there for me when I needed him, and I will not abandon him. He's still alive and being tortured. Black Dranzer will prolong his suffering until he finally dies from the blood loss or internal bleeding. He doesn't deserve it." Garland could have sworn he saw a tear fall from the red head's eye. However, he had turned around before he could say anything else.

"Brooklyn"

"What would you have me do?"

"Wait for Hiro to finish the attack strategy. He's an amazing tactician, we just need to bide our time."

"By then Mr. Dickenson will be dead. I will not allow him to die," Brooklyn snarled angrily. Garland flinched, though he considered Brooklyn as his friend, he was still afraid of him. Everyone knew that the red head was borderline insane and anything could set him off.

Noticing Garland's flinch, Brooklyn smiled bitterly; of course he was afraid of him.

"At least take someone with you," Garland pleaded. Brooklyn ignored him and kept on walking. "How do you think Hilary will feel?" Finally, Brooklyn stopped. "She'll break if something happens to you. Right now she's depressed, everyone can see it. You should really stop avoiding her."

Brooklyn's fist clenched, and he continued walking. He didn't mean to ignore her; he just couldn't bear to see her yet. Kai made it a point to always be by her side, and she never pushed him away. Brooklyn knew he was being petty, but he wasn't strong enough to pretend like it didn't hurt. He just needed time before he could face her again.

Emotionlessly, he picked up his backpack. He knew where Black Dranzer was, and he was going to do what ever it took to rescue Mr. Dickenson.

No matter the consequences.

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Hilary sat on a bench as she sadly looked at the night sky. Brooklyn was avoiding her, and it hurt. She knew that she had unintentionally hurt him that day, but it really wasn't her intention to hurt him. She had just been trying to prevent a fight between him and Kai, but now that she thought about it, she could see why he could misinterpret everything. She had been spending a lot of time with Kai. She was still resentful for the blunette's actions against her, but she couldn't push him away. Not now, when the men that hurt him were in the same building.

Kai had confided to her about his time in the abbey and it had been awful. She hadn't known how much he had suffered before meeting her. Her heart ached as she imagined all the pain a young Kai had gone through. He had been physically and mentally abused, which explained his cold and unfeeling attitude.

"Hilary?" Kai whispered her name and she glanced at her silent companion.

"Yes?" She asked him softly. His eyes met hers and they immediately softened.

"I don't want you to fight against Black Dranzer. I'm scared of losing you," Kai said in such a low tone that Hilary had to strain to hear him.

"I'll be fine," Hilary assured him and she felt Kai's hand take hers. The action reminded her of the time Brooklyn held her hand when they had officially met at the dojo. She had just seen him sitting there, away from everyone else and she had approached him. His presence had been very soothing, something she hadn't expected. He had been the complete opposite from what she had encountered before, and to this day, she didn't know what drove her to approach him.

Her train of thought was cut when she felt Kai shifting next to her. She turned to him and froze when she noticed that they were only a few inches away from each other. He didn't say anything as he dipped down and laid a soft kiss on her lips.

Hilary immediately pulled away and turned away from him.

"Kai, you can't just do that," she said.

"Valentina is no longer an issue between us. I left her to be with you, which is why I don't understand why you won't accept my advances," he said trying to maintain his composure. She always pulled away from him, and it was beginning to annoy him.

Hilary sighed as she mentally prepared herself for this conversation. A year ago she would have gladly thrown herself into his arms, but she was no longer the same girl. Her feelings had changed.

"Brooklyn-"

"What about him?" Kai asked sharply. Hilary ignored his tone and continued.

"He's been here for me this past year, and I would be lying if I said that I only consider him a friend," Kai flinched at her words. "While I see that I do have feelings for you, I also have feelings for him."

"You can-"

"Please don't interrupt me, Kai. Over this past week I have given it much thought and my feelings have become clear to me. While I do like you, I have realized that I love him."

Hilary felt her heart flutter at the mere thought of Brooklyn. She loved him, and she had for a long time. She had just now realized what her feelings were. Her feelings for Kai were nothing compared to her feelings for Brooklyn. A week of absence made it painfully clear that she loved the red head. It's true what they say after all; absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Hilary whispered sadly. She had wanted to tell him this for the past two days, but she hadn't known how to bring it up. It didn't help that Kai had opened up to her a lot more.

"Don't," he said as he stood. Hilary winced when he sharply turned his back to her. His whole frame began to shake with unmistakable grief.

"Kai, please, I-"

"Don't think that this will cause me to give up on you," he interrupted her. He gave her a backwards glance. "I don't care about your current feelings for him. I won't lose you," with those parting words, he left.

Hilary sighed. At least she had already made her feelings clear to him. Now all she had to do was talk to Brooklyn. She stood up, mentally preparing herself to talk to the red head. She walked towards the snack bar, expecting him to be there.

However, she found that he wasn't there. She turned to walk towards his room, when she suddenly bumped into someone. She felt momentarily off balance, but a pair of hands steadied her.

"I'm sorry," Hilary said as her eyes made contact with Garland's. She tried to pull away but he still held her.

"Please, stop him. He's being foolish." He pleaded and Hilary stopped her struggling.

"What?" She asked as she processed his words.

"Brooklyn! He plans on rescuing the old man by himself."

Hilary felt her heart stop at his words.

"Where is he?" She asked desperately.

"I saw him a few minutes ago, but he can be very sneaky when he wants to be! I think he snuck through the back door. I'm sure if you go now, you can catch up to him, but you'll have to hurry!"

Hilary didn't have to be told twice as she took off running. Her heart began to pound. Brooklyn was not thinking clearly. He could get himself killed if he was caught by Black Dranzer. Why couldn't he just wait for Hiro's plan!?

Lee jumped at the sound of a door slamming open. On high alert, he quickly turned with his beyblade drawn, ready to launch it. However, he put it down when he realized that it was only Hilary. He almost sighed in relief, until he saw the worried expression on her face.

"Hilary? What's going on?" He asked worriedly. Could the bladers have entered through the front entrance? He was on watch duty for the back door so he was completely oblivious to what was happening on the other entrances.

"Lee! Have you seen Brooklyn?" She asked him, completely out of breath.

"Yes, he just went out about five minutes ago," Lee said. "Why? Did something happen?"

"I think he wants to go take on Black Dranzer on his own!"

"That idiot! I'm sure we can catch up to him if we leave now," Lee said as he gathered his breath, ready to run after the red head.

"No, you stay here and tell the others. I'll go after him." Lee didn't have time to reply since Hilary was already running. He watched her go and sighed worriedly. He just hoped she got to him in time.

After several minutes of running, Hilary was already out of breath. However, she refused to stop running. She had already let him go once and she refused to let him go a second time. Finally when she couldn't take it anymore she stopped for a few seconds. She gasped for breath, and she suddenly felt someone grab her. Her whole body froze at the contact. However, she relaxed when realized that the person grabbing her did so with a lot of tenderness. She turned and found Brooklyn staring at her in confusion.

Hilary pulled away and slapped him. Brooklyn froze at the contact of her hand against his cheek. He had not expected that.

"Hilary?"

"How dare you?! You can't just go and take on Black Dranzer on your own! We are all in this together. How do you think I would feel if something were to happen to you? Just when I barely got you back! You idiot!" Brooklyn's expression softened as he heard the worry in her tone. He softly embraced her and smiled when she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hilary I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. "

"Yeah you better be sorry! You had me worried sick and then you kept on ignoring me. It hurt you know," Hilary whispered sadly and Brooklyn winced. All this time, he admonished Kai for hurting her when he was doing the exact same thing.

"I know, I just-"

He didn't get to continue since she had boldly pulled him down to her level and locked their lips together. Brooklyn froze in surprise, but that didn't stop her from moving her lips against his. Once he processed what was happening, he gladly kissed her back. He pulled her body against his and she didn't protest. Their lips moved in a perfect rhythm and she moaned when he licked her lips. She readily opened her mouth and allowed him to explore her mouth. They pulled away for a few seconds to breathe and then their lips were once again connected. Their kiss conveyed their love and passion for each other.

Finally, she pulled away and stared into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I love you," she confessed breathlessly.

"Hilary," he whispered adoringly. "I love you too."

He pulled her on a tight embrace and she smiled as she felt safe in his arms. How did she not notice it sooner? She had loved him for a long time without even noticing it.

They held each other for a few minutes until she heard loud footsteps. She mentally winced when she remembered that she had told Lee to inform the others about the situation. She hadn't thought to call him and tell him that she had found Brooklyn. Now the whole entourage was probably looking for them.

"Brooklyn!" Mystel's voice called loudly.

"Hilary!" Tyson's voice joined his. Hilary cupped her mouth with her hands and called to them.

"We're over here!"

Tyson pushed away tree branches as he ran into the clearing that both teenagers were currently at. He gasped for breath and narrowed his eyes at Brooklyn. Lee, Mystel, Tala, and Ray soon followed after him.

"You idiot!" Hilary giggled as he unknowingly echoed her same words from earlier. "What made you think that you could take on Black Dranzer on your own? Have you forgotten what happened to you and Kai when you tried ?! I can't believer you're this stupid! I care about Mr. Dickenson too, but getting myself killed won't solve anything."

"I'm sorry I wasn't thinking clearly," Brooklyn whispered softly.

"Clearly," Tyson said in annoyance, but his expression softened after a while. "Look, Black Dranzer sent us that video hoping that it would make us loose our cool and act rashly."

"Although we don't particularly care for Hiro, we must wait for his plan," Tala said with a smirk. "Personally, I say we just move in and attack him right now. We certainly have the numbers for it."

"I agree," Lee said with a small nod. "Now, I believe it's time for us to go back inside. We shouldn't wander outside by ourselves."

"Yes, that would be wise," Ray nodded and together they all went back in. Hilary and Brooklyn stayed in the back and he turned to her with a smile. He held out his hand and she gladly took it. They exchanged glances and smiled.

Tala watched them with a sad smile. He was hoping that she would choose Kai. He turned to Tyson and noticed that he had a stupid grin on his face. Feeling Tala's eyes on him, Tyson turned to look at him.

"It's not over yet," Tala declared boldly and Tyson merely shrugged.

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Once they walked in, they had found a distressed crowd. Hilary frowned when she noticed that they were watching the TV. Her heart dropped when she noticed that several helicopters had crashed by the mall and several people had died. Black Dranzer wasn't allowing anyone to leave or enter the city.

"There goes the police," Kenny sighed as another helicopter was brought down. Humans were no match against bitbeasts.

"We have to do something!" Max declared passionately. He couldn't take watching the chaos that was going on in the city.

"Screw what Hiro says, we have to go help them right now!" Rick said and several bladers agreed with him.

"It's all part of his plan. He wants to drive you out of your hideout," Boris said. "Personally, I think it's brilliant. You are all a bunch of sentimental idiots."

"Nobody asked for your opinion Freddy Krueger!" Bryan snapped. Boris turned a sharp glare at him and Bryan returned it.

"You're right, but clearly you need it because you're a bunch of incompetent buffoons. It's a wonder how you're all still alive!" Boris snarled.

"Well if we're buffoons, what does that make you? We've defeated you enough times, and you always run away with your tail between your legs," Ian joined the argument.

"It seems that you have forgotten your time at the abbey, clearly you need a reminder. Should I do the honors?" Boris snickered when Ian flinched.

"Don't you dare threaten him?!" Max growled; he was ready to defend his friends. Rick instantly stood beside Max, silently providing his support.

"Ooh what's this? Little Maxy can't protect himself? He needs Rick to protect him. Poor baby," Queen said as she sided with Boris.

"Back off bitch," Mariam said as she stood by Max. Nobody could get away with threatening her future man.

"Bitch? I'll have you know that-"

"Enough!" Hiro's voice boomed. Everyone froze and turned to look at him. He had his arms crossed as he serenely approached the television. He looked at the news and then proceeded to turn it off. "Fighting is the last thing we need right now. Now, I have come up with a plan to-"

"Who died and made you leader?" Ozuma asked with narrowed eyes. "I say we all come up with a plan together. I trust our judgement more than I trust him."

"That's not saying much seeing as you got yourself in a coma." Ming Ming commented smartly.

"That only happened because he was trying to warn everyone about the threat," Joseph retorted, defending his friend.

"I still trust Hiro," Ming Ming said.

"Last time we trusted him, Enrique died," Johnny voiced angrily. Everyone turned to the red head and stayed quiet. Enrique was still a sore subject.

"You know that wasn't Hiro's fault. Enrique knew the risks when he volunteered to go," Mystel defended Hiro.

"Of course you would side with him! You've never had good judgement seeing as how you sided with Boris! Only idiots joined that maniacal bastard!" Johnny retorted hotly.

"Yeah! And how could we forget that he was the one who helped empower that malignant bitbeast?" Michael added.

"Stop it!" Everyone flinched as Tyson raised his voice angrily. "We don't have the time to get picky! Mr. Dickenson's life is at stake, so we should at least hear him out. Even though Hiro is my brother, I know that what he did was wrong. I, of all people, know that. However, I also know that my brother is a brilliant tactician. He is also the only person that knows the BEGA building from top to bottom. Now if we don't like his plan then we can just modify it together."

"I agree with Tyson," Kenny automatically piped in. "It won't hurt to listen to Hiro's plan."

"So do I," Ray nodded. Now that Tyson had said his part, everyone nodded in agreement.

"He's their leader without even knowing it," Hilary whispered to Brooklyn. The red head gave a small smile and mentally agreed. Tyson had this uncanny ability to draw people in, and he didn't even know it. Everyone silently listened to the plan and added their thoughts whenever they disagreed. Fortunately, the whole meeting went by smoothly and no one else argued.

When the meeting had ended, Hilary made to walk to her room when Brooklyn suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her for a tight embrace. Hilary smiled as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He led her to the top floor and together they lay down and watched the stars.

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Hilary asked softly.

"Yes, but I trust our plan and our comrades. Tomorrow we will take Black Dranzer down," Hilary smiled, feeling his confidence, but she was still afraid. What if she wasn't helpful during their battle? What if they lost? What would happen to everyone?

Brooklyn noticed her expression and pulled her against his chest. She laid her head on his chest and breathed in his scent.

"You will be fine. You are one of the most capable bladers I know," he whispered encouragingly.

Hearing his words made Hilary smile. She looked up and stared at his mesmerizing blue eyes. Who would have thought that the most "unstable" blader was actually the calmest? She giggled as she softly pecked his lips. He smiled softly and pulled her for a longer kiss.

"Boris was angry," Hilary commented after a while of silence.

"He was" Brooklyn agreed. "He's used to having everything under his control, so it's hurting his pride that he can't control any of us anymore."

Hilary smirked, that evil man no longer haunted the red head.

"You know, I used to want his approval and respect. He had been the first person to ever show an interest in me, so I didn't care that he hurt me when I messed up. At least, he had been there for me. It's stupid I know."

Hilary's eyes softened and she tightened her hold on him. He rarely talked about his past, so she refused to interrupt him.

"Before Boris took me to the abbey, I was at an orphanage. I was mostly quiet and kept to myself. I was also a lot more intelligent and mature than my peers, so none of them wanted to be friends with me. They considered me a monster for being good at everything I tried; I guess you could say I was a child prodigy. That didn't stop me from trying though; I always tried to join their games. However, they always kicked me out or played elsewhere. One day, I snapped and I ended up sending six kids to the hospital. After that, everyone was afraid of me and they all avoided me like the plague. I hated it. I only had Zeus to play with, but I was the only one who could see him. It wasn't until I got a beyblade that he was transferred into the bit chip."

He paused as he remembered his constant companion. Even before beyblading, he had already had a bitbeast. Zeus must have sensed his potential from the very beginning.

"Did you ever go to the abbey?" Hilary asked quietly. From Kai, she had heard about all the horrors that young boys experienced at the abbey. She shivered involuntarily.

"No, but I'm sure that's not your main question. If you want to know if I was physically abused then, yes, I was. Perfection was in my nature, so failure ended in pain. It only happened a few times though. Most of the time I was avoided by everyone."

Hilary didn't say anything as she kissed him softly. Brooklyn smiled at her way of comforting him and returned her kiss.

"Well all of that is over. You have a lot of friends who love and care about you. And you have me," Hilary said with a small smile.

"I know," he whispered softly.

Thinking about his happiness reminded him of Mr. Dickenson. Thanks to Mr. Dickenson he was currently happy. It was because of him that he met the love of his life and his best friends. He helped him so much, and that is why he would never abandon the old man. He couldn't, he had done so much for him and he would be damned if he allowed him to die.

Tomorrow, everything would end.

Tomorrow, Black Dranzer was going to get defeated, this he swore.


	24. Chapter 24

Hilary felt herself breathing heavily. She hid behind a large rock and narrowly avoided being seen. A hand covered her mouth and she gave a grateful glance to her best friend, Tyson. She hadn't realized that she was hyperventilating.

Tyson quietly and slowly took a peak behind them and then he nodded to her. Hilary instantly understood and together they crawled closer to their position. Once there, Tyson once again peaked out and he gave a small nod to Ray, who was several feet away from them. He was with Mariah, Kevin and Lee.

Hilary tried not to wince when Tyson carelessly shifted the small grenade in his hand. She knew that thing could explode if not handled correctly. She looked towards the heavens and prayed that everything went well. She started when she noticed that Tyson was once again crawling towards their destination. She quietly followed him and held her breath when they reached the electric fence.

"How you holding up, Hils?" Tyson whispered.

"A little nervous but otherwise good," Hilary answered honestly. Tyson discretely glanced at his watch and Hilary knew that it was almost time. At exactly 12:55, Kenny was going to hack into the security system and he was going to allow them to go in. However, they would only have two minutes to go in before everything turned on again. They had to be very quick unless they wanted to get fried.

"That's good, now we only have to wait ten seconds," Tyson whispered as he mentally counted down. "Now"

Hilary took her cue and launched a small leaf and smiled when it didn't sizzle. Tyson wasted no time and he quickly climbed the fence. At the top, he held out a hand for Hilary to take and together they jumped down. They slowly crouched down and reached the air vents.

"Not gonna lie, that was exhilarating," Tyson said, trying to light the mood. It worked since it got Hilary to smile. He carefully opened the air duct and gave her a cheeky smirk. "I hope you're not claustrophobic or afraid of rats."

Hilary rolled her eyes in response. If she had been, then she wouldn't have volunteered to go in through the air duct with him. Tyson pulled out his flashlight and continued to smirk at her as he gestured towards the entrance.

"Ladies first," Hilary glared at him and he chuckled to himself. "Fine, I'll go first," he went in and slowly crawled.

Hilary followed after him and she made sure to close the air duct behind her. She took a deep breath and slowly crawled in. She felt herself getting nervous but she refused to back down. It showed a great amount of trust from the Dragoon wielder to allow her to be his partner. She was his line of defense and she would be damned if she let him down.

"Okay so it was left, left, now it's a right," he whispered to himself. Hilary mentally agreed. They had memorized their route and if everything went according to plan, they would end up in one of the locker rooms, which according to Kenny's thermal scan, was empty.

" _We're in,"_ Ray's voice buzzed in Hilary's ear, and she remembered that she was wearing an ear piece.

" _We're in,"_ Max followed Ray's.

" _We're in_ ," Robert's voice followed. They continued that way until only she and Tyson were missing.

"Here we are," Tyson whispered as he kicked the opening. He immediately jumped out, and then he held out his hand for her to take. Hilary took it and he pulled her out. Once they were both inside, Tyson clicked on his ear piece.

"We're in"

"Okay, so now it's time for phase 2," Hilary said and Tyson nodded. He glanced at his watch and they waited. At exactly, 1:10, they would proceed. They still had five minutes to spare.

While there, Hilary couldn't help but worry for the ones who were entering from underground. Brooklyn, Kai, Tala, Hiro, Garland, Spencer, Bryan and Mystel were entering through there. That was the most dangerous entrance because they were entering close to the "torture chamber", meaning that it was one of the most monitored areas.

At exactly, 1:08 a voice sounded.

" _We're in_ ," Spencer's voice greeted them. His team was already there, but the second team only had 2 minutes to go. Hilary started to drum her hands on the floor as she waited for Hiro's voice. He was in the same group as Tala, Brooklyn and Kai.

Tyson seemed to be equally as worried as his foot kept bouncing up and down.

At, 1:09, he still hadn't spoken and Hilary was beginning to worry. Tyson exchanged glances with her and he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"We have to keep going, no matter what." Tyson whispered painfully and Hilary nodded reluctantly.

Finally at exactly, 1:10, they heard Hiro's breathless, " _we're in_."

Hilary smiled and she opened the door quietly. She quietly stuck her head out and she looked from left to right. Once satisfied that there was nobody there, she and Tyson took off running. They found the stairs and got ready to run up but they had to duck since several possessed bladers passed by. Tyson covered Hilary's mouth as she struggled to stop herself from hyperventilating.

One of the bladers gave a small pause and turned towards their direction. Tyson used his other hand to get a grip on Dragoon; he was preparing himself for the worst. Fortunately, something distracted him and he continued walking.

Hilary let out a mental sigh of relief and they quickly continued their trek up the stairs. Once they made it to the stadium, she took off her small backpack and she pulled out a small device. She quickly worked on installing it while Tyson watched the entrance. Her hands shook as she pressed the buttons nervously.

"It's alright, Hils, relax," Tyson whispered reassuringly. A small noise caused her to turn and she nearly sighed in relief when she saw Mariam, Ozuma, and Joseph. Mariam nervously began to install her bomb and Hilary continued dutifully.

Once finished, Hilary restrained herself from squealing. Tyson nodded to her and together they went back to their next stop. Once there, Tyson once again pressed on his ear piece.

"Secured," he whispered.

" _Secured_ ," Ozuma's voice greeted them. They patiently waited to hear everyone's call. However, everyone was more nervous to hear from the two underground teams. They were going to rescue Mr. Dickenson and the other hostages, after all.

On cue, the lights turned off at exactly 1:20. Hilary held Tyson's hand as they quietly waited for Hiro and Spencer's voices. Two agonizing minutes passed until they heard from one of the teams.

"Group A hostages, secured," Spencer whispered with pride.

Suddenly a high pitched screech reached their ears. Hilary covered her ears as fear caused her heart to pound.

Black Dranzer was aware of their presence.

Tyson swore as he squeezed her hand. It was time for Plan B.

" _What happened_?" Kenny's urgently asked.

" _One of the babies cried_ ," Spencer replied as he swore colorfully. " _We're being chased! I'm going to need back up…like right now_!"

" _On our way_!" Robert replied.

"Come on, Hils! We have to go help them," Tyson whispered and she nodded. They were worried that they still hadn't heard from the second group.

They just hoped that they were safe, wherever they were.

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"Who screwed up!?" Tala asked anxiously as he kept fussing with a lock. They had barely managed to open two cell doors. They had five more to go. Understanding the situation, the hostages began to panic and cry. "Shut up and keep your heads on people!"

"I'll be fine my boy, don't worry," Mr. Dickenson weakly reassured Brooklyn, who was looking at him worryingly. The old man was covered in bruises and he had several open wounds that were still bleeding. Brooklyn had taken off his jacket to wrap it around his shivering form, but even then he wouldn't stop trembling.

"It doesn't matter who screwed up. We have to hurry," Hiro said as he opened another lock. People quickly ran out and pushed each other. "Stop it; we have to remain calm if we want to get out of here." Several people relaxed while others began to have panic attacks. As soon as he was finished, Hiro proceeded to unlock another one.

Kai silently opened another lock and moved on to the last one. Once everyone was released, they heard several footsteps running in their direction. Hiro swore loudly and immediately turned to Mr. Dickenson.

"Mr. Dickenson, do you know the exit from here?" Mr. Dickenson looked a bit disoriented and shook his head. Once again, Hiro swore.

"Just go with them," Tala said as he released Wolborg. "We'll distract them but you must hurry!"

Hiro nodded and turned to the panicked civilians.

"I need all of you to follow me! Please don't stray and do everything I say! Understood? Great, let's go." Hiro took off at a fast pace and everyone followed after him. Mr. Dickenson looked at a loss; fortunately a young man took hold of him and pulled him along.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over him. Thank you for what you're doing," the young man said as he gave a small smile to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn nodded back and turned to the situation at hand. He released Zeus to join Dranzer and Wolborg on the brawl.

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Kenny sighed nervously as he and Emily guided the ones leaving through their ear pieces. They were inside the van, but they were seeing everyone's movement in their computers. Daichi, Grandpa Granger and Ian sat next to them looking unsettled.

"Spencer, there are four of them right up ahead, take a quick left," Kenny said as began to sweat.

" _Got it_ ," Spencer replied.

"You're doing great, Hiro! A few feet up ahead you'll find Rick, King, Queen, Dunga and Gary. They'll help you bring out the hostages." Emily said as she bit her lip nervously. Her eyes scanned the building's thermal scan and she could see a lot of dark bladers trailing after Hiro and the rest of the hostages.

" _Roger that_ ," Hiro replied.

Emily nodded to herself until she noticed that several dark bladers had exited the building and they were heading straight for them.

"Kenny, they're coming this-"

Emily screamed when she felt the van vibrate. Kenny turned to look at her, startled. Roars and high pitched screeches could be felt and heard from inside.

"Don't worry about a thing chief! Ian and I will take care of it," Daichi said as he and Ian jumped outside. Several of Voltaire's men were already engaged in beybattles. "Join the fight, Strata Dragoon!" Daichi cried out as he released his beyblade.

Emily turned back to the computer and gasped when she saw the temperature dropping from the lowest floor. Two of her companions were fleeing from the cold, while one of them remained there. That could only mean one thing.

Tala decided to freeze everyone and allowed Brooklyn and Kai to run.

"Emily! Ray and his group have reached Spencer! The hostages should be secured now!" Kenny cried out in excitement.

Emily shook as she noticed that the temperature kept dropping rapidly, it was already well below freezing point.

"Tala! Stop it! You'll freeze!" Emily cried out in panic. When she received no response she panicked. His body temperature was also beginning to drop. His opponents were already down according to the scans. "That's enough! They won't fight anymore!" Emily said as she felt herself shake.

"Tyson!" Kenny urgently informed him of the situation. Kenny was about to give instructions to Tyson when he suddenly noticed a figure rapidly approaching him and Hilary. "There's something going your way, Tyson! Run!"

" _What are you talking about, chief?"_ Tyson asked worriedly.

"Something is approaching you and Hilary at an inhumanly fast pace. I think- Oh, God! Tyson, its Black Dranzer!"

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Tyson quickly turned towards the direction from where he had last heard from the Dark Bitbeast. He swallowed nervously, remembering that Kenny and Emily had shut down the lights. The darkness had been a perfect cloak for them earlier, but now it was cloaking Black Dranzer.

"Hilary," Tyson whispered softly. She was looking at the same direction that he was. "We will have to initiate a battle with him. I'm going to need for you to back me up. Okay?"

Hilary nodded as she tightened her hold on Shiro. Tyson silently clicked Dragoon in his launcher. Finally, he felt something run past them and he released Dragoon. Hilary released Shiro soon after.  
Black Dranzer released an enraged snarl and turned his blood red eyes to them. Instead of releasing a beyblade, he shrieked and attacked them head on. Hilary gasped when he rapidly appeared in front of her. He held her throat with his hand and he pushed her against the wall.

"Hey! You let her go! Attack, Dragoon!"

Dragoon made an appearance and Black Dranzer turned to the bitbeast in mild interest. He smirked evilly and threw Hilary across the hallway. Hilary gasped in pain as her body collided with the concrete. She coughed painfully as she struggled to breathe. Her hands softly made their way to her bruised neck.

"Shiro, Fire Burst!" Hilary croaked painfully. Her bitbeast immediately roared and attacked. Black Dranzer turned from Dragoon and narrowed his eyes at the eight tailed fox. He remembered him from their previous battle.

"Phantom Hurricane!" Tyson took advantage of Black Dranzer's momentary distraction and attacked. Black Dranzer screeched and turned hateful eyes towards Dragoon. He then smirked and sent fire balls to the bitbeast.

Dragoon evaded as Black Dranzer began to transform. He began to lose his humanoid form as he began to turn into the dark phoenix.

"Andrei-"

"Is gone, his body was destroyed the moment that I transformed." Black Dranzer cackled. Tyson winced, knowing that he spoke the truth. "My do you feel sorry for poor Andrei? Why pity the dead when you will soon join them?" Black Dranzer said as he launched a powerful attack against Dragoon.

Tyson momentarily lost his balance and flew a few feet away from the force of the impact. His head slammed against the wall and he started to bleed from the back of his head.

Hilary stood and ordered Shiro to keep attacking; she wouldn't let that evil beast attack her best friend when he was down. She hoped her attacks weakened him.

Black Dranzer smirked and launched another attack against Shiro. The temperature began to rise at an alarming pace. Hilary began to sweat as the room became noticeably hotter.

She worriedly glanced at Tyson, he hadn't moved since the attack and he hadn't stopped bleeding.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Hiro smiled as they let out the last of the hostages. Dr. K helped them into the bus as Ming Ming worriedly ran to Mr. Dickenson. The old man was looking paler by the minute.

"We should take him to get treated," she said and Dr. K nodded in agreement.

"Take them out of here," Hiro said as Spencer fell down ungracefully.

"I absolutely don't want to know anything about babies any time soon," he said with a small chuckle. Ray rolled his eyes but smiled, he was glad they were safe.

He looked around and noticed that mostly everyone had made it out of the building. Several of the dark bladers were lying on their backs with their hands and legs completely tied. Boris and Voltaire were snickering as they knocked out the ones that were showing signs of waking up. When he finally saw Mariah, he smiled. She had been very brave and helpful. He would definitely be asking her out soon.

"Are we ready to level the building?" Bryan asked with a small smile. He looked around and noticed that there were several people out there. They looked complete.

However, his smile died down when he saw two figures approaching them. One of them carried a familiar red head, which was completely unconscious. His face was pale, his lips were blue, and he wouldn't stop trembling.

"Tala!" He cried out in alarm and ran to his fallen comrade. He immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around the red head. Kai and Brooklyn exchange glances and Kai slowly put down his friend.

"Hurry! We have to cuddle with him!" Ian said as he ran towards the red head. He didn't get far since Spencer pushed him to the floor as he looked at him in disgust.

"Our friend is freezing, and you want to sexually harass him while he's unconscious! What's wrong with you?"

Ian's eyebrow began to twitch in irritation and he smacked him across the head.

"He needs body heat, you moron!"

"He's right!" Hiro admitted and Spencer and Bryan immediately launched themselves at their unconscious comrade. They lay down on either side of him, while Ian grabbed his hands and began to breathe in hot air into him. Everyone smiled at the warm scene.

"So what are we waiting for? Shouldn't we blow it up? I mean, Black Dranzer is still in there right?" Lee asked a distraught Kenny.

"We can't! Hilary and Tyson are in there with him!" Kenny said in dismay. At hearing Tyson's name, Hiro flinched.

"Why haven't they come out yet? Better question, why didn't you tell us this sooner?" He roared angrily.

A loud crash sounded from inside and they all turned to the building in distress. Brooklyn and Kai wasted no time and ran inside. Hiro soon followed.

"Wait! Guys!" Kenny called out to them, but Emily placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Let them go, they won't listen to reason when Tyson and Hilary are in there." Everyone else twitched wanting to go inside, but they knew they couldn't.

One wrong move and they could hit a little bomb and everything would explode.


End file.
